22 May, 2020 - Bob Ross, Charles Wysocki & Micheal Atkinson
Dear, Mom -
Hello there, my sweet mama! I hope you are having a nice day today. I am hoping the nice weather is about to begin for I overheard the meteorologist on the television at Birgit's say that it is supposed to start warming up! I think we will all feel a bit better if we get some sunshine to brighten up the day. The dreary indecisive skies as of late have my emotions all out of whack. I will say that being able to write you a letter every evening and having a nice person read it to you every day has definitely lifted my heart...and hopefully yours, too!
Do you remember when we used to watch the painter Bob Ross on PBS together? I am reminded of him because he was always so positive. Everything about him was so uplifting. He loved painting and he loved nature. He would say, “We don't make mistakes, just happy little accidents.” or “There's nothing wrong with having a tree as a friend.” He made painting look so fluid and easy, just like you.
I think people thought he was a bit weird, but I just think he was the ultimate optimist. He always had such a big smile and gentle voice. His instructions were so easy I couldn't imagine walking away from a painting one had done by following his instructions and it not looking pretty much the same. Anyway, I am just trying to channel all his positive vibes and happiness and hope for happy trees and a happy little sun to appear!
There is also the American folk artist, Charles Wysocki. You used to get his calendars every year. You even replicated his style in a couple of your paintings once, which was a very unusual style for you. You could paint anything, though, so I was never surprised at your adaptability to paint anything and paint it perfect! I remember the following picture of his that was on one of the calendars we had hanging in the kitchen. It's called "Sugar and Spice".
It is such a fun painting because there are lots of clues to a narrative in the picture. I suppose that how most of his paintings are, but we found this one especially fun. Who ever heard of a man carrying around a stove on a cart to bake bread? Then he sells peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on 'oven hot bread'! Not only that, in the picture he is parked right in front of a Candy Maker's shoppe, a confectioner, AND an ice cream parlor! I would imagine this would be about the only place that kids would want to hang out in this village. The funny thing is there is a pulled tooth hanging from the confectionery sign. An advertisement and a warning at the same time. Hahahahaha.
The last painter that I remember inspired you to start doing watercolors was Micheal Atkinson. His watercolors to this day still astound me at how creative and beautiful they are. You had a large reproduction of one of his paintings in your bedroom. It was to cowboys riding through a valley, or some such content. You had one where there was an old farm house with quilts hung out to dry blowing in the breeze. The you had two prints that went together that were of Pueblo natives sitting outside there adobe huts. They were all wonderful. He had a unique style of making the bottom of his paintings fade into sky with little birds flying there. The one below, instead of a sky with birds, he made kind of a reflection of trees in water from a different environment all together. Really precise and inspirational.
I really did learn a lot from you when it came to drawing, mom. I still remember the day you taught me how to draw trees in the background with one line. I still do it to this day. I loved to sit and watch you paint. Even your tole painting was amazing. It is something I intend to try in the future when I get my art studio reconfigured and ready for use. I would like to paint something for you to hang in your room, and something for Birgit next door since tole painting is avvery Scandanavian folk art medium. Well, see. One of these days I'll have my studio ready to use again and start doing art. I can't wait. I wish I could snap my fingers and make it just the way I'd like it right now...*SNAP*...Nope. Didn't work.
I hope this little trip down memory lane was a nice one for you. I'm always showing you flowers, but I think sometimes it is nice to reflect on the past and bring up some nice memories for the both us and painting is definitely one of them.
I'm off to bed, mom. I love you. You are so talented and gifted. There really is nothing you cannot do and that inspired me as a young girl. Thank you for passing that on to me. It means a lot.
With All My Heart,
Sally
Hello there, my sweet mama! I hope you are having a nice day today. I am hoping the nice weather is about to begin for I overheard the meteorologist on the television at Birgit's say that it is supposed to start warming up! I think we will all feel a bit better if we get some sunshine to brighten up the day. The dreary indecisive skies as of late have my emotions all out of whack. I will say that being able to write you a letter every evening and having a nice person read it to you every day has definitely lifted my heart...and hopefully yours, too!
Do you remember when we used to watch the painter Bob Ross on PBS together? I am reminded of him because he was always so positive. Everything about him was so uplifting. He loved painting and he loved nature. He would say, “We don't make mistakes, just happy little accidents.” or “There's nothing wrong with having a tree as a friend.” He made painting look so fluid and easy, just like you.
I think people thought he was a bit weird, but I just think he was the ultimate optimist. He always had such a big smile and gentle voice. His instructions were so easy I couldn't imagine walking away from a painting one had done by following his instructions and it not looking pretty much the same. Anyway, I am just trying to channel all his positive vibes and happiness and hope for happy trees and a happy little sun to appear!
There is also the American folk artist, Charles Wysocki. You used to get his calendars every year. You even replicated his style in a couple of your paintings once, which was a very unusual style for you. You could paint anything, though, so I was never surprised at your adaptability to paint anything and paint it perfect! I remember the following picture of his that was on one of the calendars we had hanging in the kitchen. It's called "Sugar and Spice".
It is such a fun painting because there are lots of clues to a narrative in the picture. I suppose that how most of his paintings are, but we found this one especially fun. Who ever heard of a man carrying around a stove on a cart to bake bread? Then he sells peanut butter and jelly sandwiches on 'oven hot bread'! Not only that, in the picture he is parked right in front of a Candy Maker's shoppe, a confectioner, AND an ice cream parlor! I would imagine this would be about the only place that kids would want to hang out in this village. The funny thing is there is a pulled tooth hanging from the confectionery sign. An advertisement and a warning at the same time. Hahahahaha.
The last painter that I remember inspired you to start doing watercolors was Micheal Atkinson. His watercolors to this day still astound me at how creative and beautiful they are. You had a large reproduction of one of his paintings in your bedroom. It was to cowboys riding through a valley, or some such content. You had one where there was an old farm house with quilts hung out to dry blowing in the breeze. The you had two prints that went together that were of Pueblo natives sitting outside there adobe huts. They were all wonderful. He had a unique style of making the bottom of his paintings fade into sky with little birds flying there. The one below, instead of a sky with birds, he made kind of a reflection of trees in water from a different environment all together. Really precise and inspirational.
I really did learn a lot from you when it came to drawing, mom. I still remember the day you taught me how to draw trees in the background with one line. I still do it to this day. I loved to sit and watch you paint. Even your tole painting was amazing. It is something I intend to try in the future when I get my art studio reconfigured and ready for use. I would like to paint something for you to hang in your room, and something for Birgit next door since tole painting is avvery Scandanavian folk art medium. Well, see. One of these days I'll have my studio ready to use again and start doing art. I can't wait. I wish I could snap my fingers and make it just the way I'd like it right now...*SNAP*...Nope. Didn't work.
I hope this little trip down memory lane was a nice one for you. I'm always showing you flowers, but I think sometimes it is nice to reflect on the past and bring up some nice memories for the both us and painting is definitely one of them.
I'm off to bed, mom. I love you. You are so talented and gifted. There really is nothing you cannot do and that inspired me as a young girl. Thank you for passing that on to me. It means a lot.
With All My Heart,
Sally
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