Thursday Tidbits

Posted on February 13, 2020 under Thursday Tidbits with no comments yet

Mr. Valentin

 

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” Thomas Merton

I was walking past the art room the other day at school and saw this very interesting “tin man.” Of course, I immediately thought about the Wizard of Oz and the lyrics to the old America tune, Tin Man: “But Oz never did give nothing to the Tin Man, that he didn’t, didn’t already have.” Of course, now I have a serious earworm as I hum this song all day.

I marvel at people who are artistic like our ultra- talented art teacher, Zina. The “tin man” is her creation. I’m hoping to tell her story one of these days. I can’t wait to hear about her life path which took her from Russia to Kangiqsujuaq.

One would think that a person who has a bit of musical ability and a smidgeon of writing ability would have a small grain of artistic ability. You would be wrong. I remember playing Pictionary when we were younger. It was played in teams. You were handed a clue and asked to draw a picture. Your partner was then asked to tell what the image was. Anytime I played, my partner and our opponents would end up in gales of laughter as my rendering of an elephant might resemble a cloud or a big blob of cookie dough.

Back in elementary school, I loved Sister Mary Roderick’s art class. I still have my old report cards. She was a wonderful, kind, patient, and charitable woman. She knew I didn’t possess an ounce of ability but always gave me high marks for effort and enthusiasm.

I put away my paint brushes, scissors and glue for many years, but they surfaced again when my own children arrived on the scene. They were (are) quite talented and it was apparent to all that this skill set came from their mother’s side of the family.

Another generation passed without the indignity of me having to draw anything but conclusions.

Then my grandchildren came along and since then, I have spent countless hours watching them in awe as their creativity spills forth. “Bup (my nickname), why don’t we draw a dinosaur?” I run down to the bathroom and grab a mirror so that I can get the image as precise as possible. Thank god for Google. I ask Google how to draw a dinosaur and just like that, I become a burgeoning Picasso.

“And why, this rather lengthy and boring dissertation of my life as a non-artist?” you might ask.

As part of my duties as grade 5/6 teacher, I am supposed to teach art. When I was being interviewed for the job, I wasn’t concerned about the isolation of the north, the bitter cold winter winds, or the threat of a polar bear attack. No. What struck fear in my heart was the knowledge that I would once again have to humiliate myself by laying bare my ineptness in teaching art.

Thankfully, the charity of Sister Mary Roderick endures because a few of my fellow teachers have come to my aide and routinely give me ideas for art classes.

You can only imagine the plethora of Valentine’s Day flotsam and jetsam floating around my classroom this week.

Love is in the air. It is also on the walls and the floor and in the garbage can.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

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