My mother is an artist. (She’s also many other things, but she is an artist, for sure.) I just love her work!
When she was a child in an immigrant-rich, crowded and filled-to-the-gills, coal-mining town in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, her tiny elementary school provided art and music classes one day a month. As my mom tells it, the art and music teachers traveled around the region, going to a different school each day and offering about an hour of class time to students. The full-time teachers at this small school taught three grade levels in one room.
My mom had never seen a library as a child and only saw an art book for the first time when she attended nursing school as a young adult.
I do think art and music classes are important; I think it’s important for children to receive robust and varied exposure to different concepts and ways of thinking. I also know that education aint’ everything, and you can find your way in this world when your heart and passion and curiosities draw you to something.
As winter sets in, I’m reminded of some of my mom’s winter-themed watercolor paintings. I just love ’em!
A number of years ago, I got some of her art scanned and made into notecards which I published on etsy and this little micro site. We/she/I sold a few.and printed up a bunch of sets for her (and me too!) to gift to friends.
And here’s some of her art. Ain’t it just lovely?
