I don’t know why this incident is etched into my memory bank, but it probably is because it signifies an important example of my carefree spirit.
The occurrence goes like this. It was the first grade, and all of us in my class were told by our teacher to draw a picture on a large sheet of newsprint paper that had lines for text at the bottom.
I’m sure you all have had to do that as children. We were given specific instructions not to draw on the area that had lines. That area was reserved for writing the story. I did just the opposite, I used the whole page. I got into trouble, and was told by the teacher to pay closer attention to instructions. I had heard the teacher’s instructions, but decided that the story could be better told with just my drawing and no text.
So with that, I had the beginning of my art career.
I guess you can say that having an independent spirit has its disadvantages if you want to fit into our society and get a job. Eventually, I got a job in graphic design where I had to use both graphics and text to tell the story. Trying to communicate a message is a challenge for any artist – young or old – and that is why creating art isn’t always as easy as it may seem. This is also why teaching art to the young is a big challenge – trying to give them freedom, but not so much that they lose focus of the message.
When The ARTree came into being three years ago, I gathered a group of artists to try to define what we wanted as an organization. One of the wonderful things about a new organization is that you can set your own parameters, which made it an exciting endeavor then and now.
The ARTree has evolved into an organization that nurtures creativity through projects that take a unique approach. We embrace the community, the environment, new technology, and many opportunities that come our way with an approach that is unlike other organizations.
The ARTree community reaches out in a proactive manner involving anyone who accepts our challenge.
Join us at 6:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of each month at the Newhall Library to exchange ideas about expanding our reach in a creative and innovative manner.