The other day, while I was over at Pops’ place, looking at some of his new projects, I discovered an old watercolor painting, hidden back among some old scraps. I pulled it out and asked him who did it.
Come to find out, it was the very first watercolor painting he had ever done.
It was 1966 – around the time I was born. That would have made him about 24 years old. He had majored in art at Greensboro College, but painting in oils was what he had focused on while a student. Watercolor painting didn’t become an interest until a few years after college.
I watched him as he held the paper up to the window light, critiquing his work – how he had “put lots of effort into the shadows and highlights” on the brass pitcher and that his painting technique was now much more effortless and free-flowing. I had to agree with his assessment.
You have to start somewhere to get to where you want to be. Funny thing is, I think he’s still on the journey, and that’s an awesome thing – watching him play with new techniques and seeing the sparkle in his almost-eighty-year-old eyes is a gift.
I took the painting and carefully placed it in his portfolio, letting him know that since it had been “rediscovered”, it would be kept out of the scraps and shared for a long, long time to come.
I’d like to start by sharing it with you.
blondesightedart.com 