Not artistic. Seriously. Please believe me.

I recall that Ida Berman taking me to several New York City galleries in the winter of 1975.

drawingArthur the AmeriNZ kid (“kid” in that he’s younger than I) mildly chastened me in a comment. “On another note, you write: ‘Les Green was VERY artistic, in many ways, and I just wasn’t, and aren’t to this day.’ Really? You DO know you blog, right? I’m sure plenty of others would join me in saying THAT is creative.”

I never said I wasn’t CREATIVE, just not artistic. In at least two marking periods in third and fourth grade I got a D in art. My father once asked my seventh-grade art teacher how I managed to get a B, and she said, “Because he worked to the best of his ability.”

Which isn’t much. You do NOT want me on your team in Pictionary, because you will never have ANY idea what I’m trying to draw. I can see it in my mind’s eye, but it simply does not translate onto the paper, or piece of clay, or whatever medium I’m using.

I remember being at staff training for work a year and a half ago playing some board game which essentially swiped from other board/card games such as Pictionary. My team was frustrated, as though I weren’t trying; I WAS, I WAS.

Now my wife is rather artistic. In fact she should take more advantage of her skills and try here, different methods of honing her skills. At her request, I’ve purchased her an easel, paints, et al., but she seldom actually uses them.

The Daughter is VERY artistic, clearly getting this from her mother. Or her paternal grandfather. It wasn’t until the end of the last semester, when she brought them home, that we learned that she had a couple drawings accepted and displayed at a city-wide even; it was old hat. She and a friend designed the inside front cover of her yearbook.

I should note that I appreciate art. I’ve attend the museums regularly for decades. I recall that Ida Berman, my great aunt Charlotte Yates’ sister, taking me to several New York City galleries in the winter of 1975. I’m involved with the Albany Public Library displaying art at one of the branches.

So I can sing a little, and write a little. But I couldn’t draw a recognizable horse, even if you offered me large sums of cash.

Author: Roger

I'm a librarian. I hear music, even when it's not being played. I used to work at a comic book store, and it still informs my life. I won once on JEOPARDY! - ditto.

2 thoughts on “Not artistic. Seriously. Please believe me.”

  1. Interesting. I, too, struggle with visual art (drawing and painting in particular), though I have sometimes done okay. That’s the reason I started taking photos so much. I found it was the only way I could get what I saw in my head, and now with digital cameras, especially phones, there’s no reason not to experiment. Maybe you should try that some. You know, in your spare time.

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