Ode to the artist

Have you ever considered superheroes? When did they first realize they had super human abilities? Perhaps Superman tumbled out of his crib only to fly back to the safety of his blankets. Well, there are those of us who aren’t so super human, but possess extraordinary talents and abilities. When did we first get a sense of our prowess? At what point in life do artists realize they’re endowed with creative abilities? For me personally it was never a realization, it was simply me being me, it’s the way I’m wired. Art flows outward as an expression of the inner me, sometimes effortlessly and sometimes not.

My parents’ first exposure to the reality that their child possessed any kind of artistic talent was during their very first parent-teacher night. It was the elderly kindergarten teacher that excitedly directed them to a display table. The class project was to “sculpt” a candle in a candleholder out of clay. Well, after receiving a clueless response from my folks she proudly directed their attention to my creation, a detailed chamber stick, outfitted with a perfectly modeled candle, topped off with a flame on the end of the wick. She told them that my exceptional fine motor skills and ability to translate the conceptual image into concrete form with such realism was beyond a normal 5 year old. She declared to them that I was an artist. Well, my parents were thrilled and of course as a result gave me every opportunity to “ create”. You probably wonder if it was the opportunities that cultivated talent, or whether it's innate. My response is that if I were only given a tube of Crest toothpaste as a child I would have created something glorious out if it (which I did, but we won’t go there, LOL!).

Of course I’m no superhero, and you probably think I’m a bit off, even arrogant, to insinuate that talented people are extraordinary, but if you’re talented, I mean beyond the normal person, then you understand. There’s something special about knowing that you excel above the rest in a certain field. But you also have to look at it realistically, we’re all equal there are just some people in life that are gifted, but no one is better than anyone else.

Hopefully over time, as this blog unravels, there will be opportunity to discuss some of the things brought to life through the paint brush and a wad of clay. Since my art comes through in everything I do, from gardening to pen and ink drawings, there will be a lot to look at. By the way “Clay Doodles” was inspired by some fanciful little creatures I put together one night while I was waiting to be inspired, it was like I was doodling in clay as someone would doodle with a pencil on a scrap piece of paper. You should try it when you get the chance, there is something very therapeutic about molding clay with one’s hands. To me its almost as if I’m back in kindergarten rolling snakes and making candles.

Welcome to my blog!

CD