Emulation Is The Greatest Form of Flattery

This entry is a continuation from my last one…

I’ve shared a few stories about how my students have surprised me with special gifts, during my art workshops. Sometimes the young artists will write poems, but mostly they draw pictures for me.

After each student paints with me, I always give them a gift of a print of my artwork. Many years from now, the students may forget about the experiences that we shared, so I give them one of my art prints with the hopes that they will keep it for many years and every time they look at it they will remember our time together. I cut out some cardboard to be just larger than the print and then I take it to get shrink-wrapped to help keep the print from getting damaged

During my three-day workshop at Matthews Hall – to create ‘Moondance’ – I received a very special drawing from one of the students. This young and very talented artist drew a picture of me, standing on the Earth. Since I spoke of ‘peace’ with the class – and our responsibility to care for the Earth, the artist drew a peace symbol for my face and the sun. If you compare the image of the universe in ‘Moondance’ to her drawing you will notice how she used similar ways to represent outerspace. To top it all off, she had prepared her drawing for me in the same way I prepared my print for her. She had cut a piece of cardboard to be just slightly larger than her drawing and then she wrapped it in a clear plastic sheet to keep it protected.

This generous act of kindness made me feel very special about myself and the things that I do. Thank you, Natalie!!!

Jim