bottlebugs
Well-Known Member
Yes, I collect bottles, but I also enjoy my retirement years pursuing other loves.
I discovered art very early on. My best friend next door was an aspiring artist. We
would get together to draw and paint. She was an only child and given paints,
and paper and coloured crayons to encourage her development. We were only
7 or 8 when we began. My art supplies were for school only, and shared amongst 3 older brothers. I used the inside of cereal boxes and the nubs of old pencil crayons. Her place was a treasure trove!
When I moved to Ottawa, the art bug stayed with me. I would scour the trash for
unused back sides of paper and save my snow and lawn money for paints and
other art supplies. That stayed with me into adult hood. My oldest brother had
passed away quite young and left behind a plethora of oil paints. I cruised the
second hand stores until I found old unused canvases. My entry into oil paints
was often a mixed effort. Some were ok but others were unresolved. I liked to paint while the "feeling" was with me. Oils required layers and patience. In the end, I found impressionism was my best friend. I could execute the paintings quickly and efficiently. If I liked what I did I would sign and date it. In this case I signed it
X. XXXX with a '21 instead of a 2021.
I eventually moved into acrylics as I could now afford good paints and canvasses.
I tossed the older works into the trash 3 years ago. One day I noticed my neighbour slipping a rather large painting into his car. It was covered in a large garbage bag to protect it. Always the interested artist, I commented on his package. He proudly unwrapped it to show me. It was my last work in oil! It was an impressionist piece I called "Sapper's Row". He was apparently an art collector of renown and had sold it to the National Gallery. He tapped on the signature and the date. My signature was not unlike a famous French impressionist from the 19th century. The period after my first initial often looked more like a backwards comma.
"One of his early works!" He beamed.
I now paint on plexiglas with acrylics. Maybe I'll hold onto my earlier works.
I discovered art very early on. My best friend next door was an aspiring artist. We
would get together to draw and paint. She was an only child and given paints,
and paper and coloured crayons to encourage her development. We were only
7 or 8 when we began. My art supplies were for school only, and shared amongst 3 older brothers. I used the inside of cereal boxes and the nubs of old pencil crayons. Her place was a treasure trove!
When I moved to Ottawa, the art bug stayed with me. I would scour the trash for
unused back sides of paper and save my snow and lawn money for paints and
other art supplies. That stayed with me into adult hood. My oldest brother had
passed away quite young and left behind a plethora of oil paints. I cruised the
second hand stores until I found old unused canvases. My entry into oil paints
was often a mixed effort. Some were ok but others were unresolved. I liked to paint while the "feeling" was with me. Oils required layers and patience. In the end, I found impressionism was my best friend. I could execute the paintings quickly and efficiently. If I liked what I did I would sign and date it. In this case I signed it
X. XXXX with a '21 instead of a 2021.
I eventually moved into acrylics as I could now afford good paints and canvasses.
I tossed the older works into the trash 3 years ago. One day I noticed my neighbour slipping a rather large painting into his car. It was covered in a large garbage bag to protect it. Always the interested artist, I commented on his package. He proudly unwrapped it to show me. It was my last work in oil! It was an impressionist piece I called "Sapper's Row". He was apparently an art collector of renown and had sold it to the National Gallery. He tapped on the signature and the date. My signature was not unlike a famous French impressionist from the 19th century. The period after my first initial often looked more like a backwards comma.
"One of his early works!" He beamed.
I now paint on plexiglas with acrylics. Maybe I'll hold onto my earlier works.
