Those are the famous words of my 11 grade art teacher. Mr. B, as he was fondly called, was a huge fan of one-liners that would forever brand you in the art or social world.
He was a broadly built man of medium height with a long gray/black beard. He wore long-sleeved button down shirts that he would roll up for good paint-shirt contact prevention. On the upper shelves above the cabinets full of art supplies was Mr. B's junk collection.
We joked about a Sanford & Son connection, but knew that we would pay the price when he pulled a huge conglomeration of it into the center of the room for us to paint. "Oh great, another still life." Each still life seemed to grow in size--another added vase, bicycle wheel, double-duty boots, industrial strength something, etc.
When Mr. B belted out with "don't be an art chicken" right after he explained a new project, he meant "be bold, experiment and don't be safe with your art." Accordingly, one day I went where no (wo)man had gone before by mistaking a can of gold spray paint for a can of clear fixative--the kind that would immortalize my most recent creation, a chalk rendering of a nuclear winter man. (Don't ask me what the hell that means, but I was a pretty damn good art student.)
When the resulting guilded catastrophe was revealed, Mr. B. laughed a big booming throaty laugh, snatched the piece and held it up to the entire class. "This is what happens when you don't use your ability to read," he said.
After he got a week's worth of entertainment from that moment, he sat down with me to lay out a strategy for the repairs. All I can say is that I was NEVER accused of being an art chicken.
Mr. B is now retired, living happily ever after with my 10th grade art teacher (with whom I still keep in touch). They own a daylily farm in NC.
8 comments:
I'm so glad you had art teachers who positively influenced your life.
I used to love art class until I it junior high. I had the same art teacher all three years. It was torutre. I haven't taken an art class, sketched, or painted since.
He is such a good mentor... hope I can see some of your artworks. xoxo
how lovely - you have an enduring eye for composition, as evidenced by your enviable photography portfolio. Undoubtedly Mr. B may have had a small contribution in the development of your artistic style! Lovely remembrance of a teacher - thanks so much for sharing.
Have you seen http://www.savagechickens.com/ ? Very funny. I wish I had some artistic talent like you do.
Isn't it wonderful that we become living extensions of those teachers we admired? They live within us for a lifetime. I know the joy of having been cared about and helped along by some dedicated teachers and I'm so glad you do too. And in your case they've helped you to visually share your talent with others. How grand.
Glad he taught you to not be an art chicken! It's funny how we take parts of our teachers out into the world with us when we move on!
I can only do performance art. Teachers like Mr B and his fellow art teacher partner are great people who had patience for their pupils. So I spose I'll have to borrow the phrase and say ... don't be a poetry chicken! Thanks, Mr B!
Love this post, it's awesome to have such good teachers to remember about and even keep in touch with!
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