Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy teaching art to all my students. Wait, I should not generalize that much. I enjoy teaching art. That is better. The younger students I have a blast with as they have a sense of wonder and imagination that is hard to describe. What they lack in skills they make up in imagination and stick-to-it-ness. The older kids have the skills but they tend to be more social and art is usually the last thing on their list of priorities. All total, if you put the two groups together, you have a willing batch of students ready to learn and create wonderful things, with a few that want no part in it at all. I especially had to deal with that last year and some of my older students did not feel that art was a necessary thing to really pay attention to in school. Needless to say, I had many talks and conferences with some disgusted parents with students who did not achieve their highest potential.

(One particular parent at a conference told me that to she was going to make sure her son would “bust his ass” in studying for the final exam. He definitely did as he got 12% on his test. If she did not “bust his ass”, her term which she used about 16 times in my presence and the principal’s, that student might have gotten 10 or even 11% on the final! Thanks Mom you made your son the brightest starfish in the sea!!) *

But I digress, Summer is not the time to think about what had happened in class last year, it is the time to refresh batteries, rejuvenate skills, create art for anyone. That is what I did for the most part of my summer. I had a few caricature orders to complete, two projects for the Rahr-West County Show, a company picnic to draw worker caricatures of friends and family and I relaxed a bit by not thinking of art that I had to do and yet I wanted to do. That time is over, as I have a new agenda full of orders for caricatures, wooden fish, making plans for the upcoming Ethnicfest in September, and cleaning up used supplies and what-not that I collected for the upcoming school year. I am glad that I have an occupation that I can have some time to work on these projects without the fear of losing my job. Plus I end up with time off to do so. This was not the case before I worked at the library, I had to find time and eek out any morsel of freedom to work on my own projects. Thank you.

So now you know where I have been. I enjoyed my Summer as I think I deserved to, especially after dealing with the aforementioned parents of students this past year. I enjoyed turning 37, even though I am that much closer to 40 now. All in all, it was a great Summer, I created things I am proud of, but now it is time to get back to business and get to work as an artist again.

*Funny story, that just happened an hour ago. I went to my high school to drop off some football tickets and who was right next to me filling out some forms…you guessed it “Bust his Ass” Momma. No hugs though, can you believe it? lol

Anyway, since school is out and I have other art opportunities in the Summer, it is a good idea for all artists to go through their supplies and equipment to see what works, what to keep and what to throw out. Now when I say throw out, there are a few sub-categories to think about.

One, can you still use it? Is is a dried out tube of paint? Does the scissors just need a sharpening? Does the pencil sharpener need a good cleaning? These are thing you should ask yourself before throwing them out. Sometimes a little elbow grease or effort can save a well-used product. Sometimes not. But you have to see if it is worth the hassle to keep. I had plenty of weird colors of Sculpty Clay and knew no child would use them. So for the last project of the year for my 4th graders I had them make their own rock. They could mix any color and create stripes and gradations. They could make round rocks or jagged stones with their names on it. I even had some leftover clay eyes that they really liked and wanted for their own rock. After class I baked them in the school oven, sprayed a clear gloss over them and there is the final product. I did not have to purchase anything else as it had to be used up. It was a project, for the children!

On another hand, there are so many left over glue bottles. Most kids “forget” them but if they are in my room, I will save them as they can be refilled and then used for next year.

By being an art teacher, I have been given many strange items to use. I was given tiles, lots of old yarn, cray-pas, watercolors (that is why we took those off the school supply list) , rice, beads, toilet paper tubes, swim noodles, Styrofoam pieces, frames, mattes, you name it, I probably had gotten something similar to what you are describing. Yes, I can find a project to use and make use of the “misfit supplies”. Yes, I am grateful for the thought and kindness that many people have given me in trying to control and keep occupied 200 students a week. But some things I just could not use at school, even if they are “for the children”.

Some of those items are as follows: art books with nudes in them, used crayons, used pencils, a half of a scissors(?), dried glue, dried-out markers, used construction paper, books about nudes, dried rubber cement, any fuzzy ball or a Nerf ball without it’s majority of “Nerfness”, combs. Yeah, you read right…combs, used combs. What the heck can I use a person’s used comb for? The list can go on and on. I was given 12 very nice canvases and a wonderful easel. I really could not find a space for them and also a need for them. I worked out an exchange and hopefully there will be some new treasures to discover.

I guess, it is not a bad thing to give your junk to the local art teacher. We have imaginative minds and a vast knowledge of ideas and theories for art and supplies. Especially the private school art teachers. I never did this, but my older brother made wine goblets in his fifth grade art class out of beer bottles. Now that takes patience, courage and lots of band-aids. I am just glad that people recycle old Miller Light bottles instead of giving them to me. You know…for the children.

So before the real Summer gets going and rolling, maybe take a chanceand look around your studio for a quick pick-up and clean-up of materials. By the way, if you find any used combs or Nerf balls, don’t send them to me.

I guess it helped to have two parents motivate and trusted enough in the Catholic Education System, to enroll their 4th child into a Catholic school for not just one year, but seventeen years. Surprisingly, it was not until I entered high school, that I had a full-time art teacher to teach me my main interest in school. That would be art.

I mention this fact because when I recieved the award i thought of all my art teachers I have had that taught me. So I would like to thank

Miss Wozniak in first grade,
Mrs. Peaslee in 2nd Grade,
Mrs. Schultz in 3rd Grade,
Mrs. Lorrigan in 4th Grade,
Mrs. Franz in 5th Grade,
Mr. Fitch and Mrs. Gleichner in 6th Grade,
Mrs. Fritch in 7th Grade,
Mrs. Beine in 8th Grade,
Mr. Woodcock, my high school art teacher,
Donna Dart,
R.J. Skrepinski,
Sr. Andre,
Sr. Marilee, all art teachers at Silver Lake College.
They have all influenced me in the schools I have attended, to become a better artist. I do have to mention Mr. Spatz who taught me in kindergarten at J.F. Magee School. At the time there was no Catholic Kindergarten classes at St. Mark’s so I went one year to the public school and really used my share of the taxpayers money.

Anyway, it was quite an honor to receive this award. Many friends and family members nominated me, by my urging, after seeing that no one was nominated for this award. I noticed the story in the paper and thought, I had the qualifications, why not me? So for all the people who nominated me and wrote nice things about me, Thank you!

The ceremony was at the Rahr-West Art Museum in Manitowoc and it coincided with the St. Francis Cabrini Schools art show. The main room was filled with artwork from some very gifted students from K-8th grades. They left me a spot to showcase my work and so I had brought my Ron Dayne painting (that is signed), my Tony “Monk” Shalhoub painting (which is also signed), the collage of Presidential fish I entered at the Rahr County show last August, and about 12 penguins, an elephant and an armadillo. So if you have time to see an art show, go see it.

I then gave a little talk about my education, my art, how cancer happened to me, and how all those things are connected. I thought I did well, but I did it off the cuff and I must have blanked out as there were many puzzled looks on people’s faces. I was behind a podium so I knew I was zipped up and not showing. Maybe I was talking fast? Or maybe it just took awhile to let people know what I was saying. Like a 5 second delay. Either way, I think it went well.

There actually is an award that goes with this honor. I joked about calling it something because saying to people, “Hey I was just nominated to win the Saint Francis of Assisi School and Church award for Fine Arts,” is quite a mouthful. I thought it would get a laugh…..maybe a few chuckles but I realized I am not Jerry Seinfeld. I explained what I do, where I teach, how I got cancer, and congratulated the kids on their work. Then I took pictures and posed and walked around and had some cookies and punch. I drew a few caricatures and talked to people and had a good time. 

I really think they should give artists more awards. Not to be greedy, but it is one way to get these artistic people out in the world and give them praise for what they contribute to society. They don’t have to stay in their studios all the time. Let them actually see real people and real lighting and breathe actual air. We as artists tend to be quite introverted and not socially active. Plus we tend to dwell on the mistakes instead of the triumphs, at least I do, I think.

So for one last time, Thank you very much for this honor, and I hope I do not seem selfish, but I hope I can win some more awards.

Getting to the point though, many students ask me why do they need art, need to know artists, need to do anything artistic for the 30-40 minutes of class time we have in a week. What good will it do them? I even have some parents ask me the same thing. It is usually followed by the comment, “Look at you! I surely want my son/daughter to be more successful then YOU!”

Now that bites.

Yes, I am not a world famous artist. I have not even stepped off on this continent, or have seen more then two oceans. I have not even gone out of the Northern Hemisphere.

The salary I receive from being an artist, is small. Small is not even a good word for it. If you add up the amount I make teaching, doing art, and working at the library, you could see why it is necessary to live in the upstairs of my parent’s home. Granted I have access to the whole house, and I get what I need not what I want. But even though to you I may be struggling, I am perfectly fine.

Yes, there are times I wish I could be a world-famous artist. I look at the lives of some artists and think, “Gee, I wish I could live like that.” Tom Richmond is probably the most famous and maybe richest caricaturist there is. He is handsome, has a wonderful family, hobnobs with celebrities, tops in his field. He’s a nice guy too. Would I want to change my life with his? The answer would surprise you.

No.

Well why the heck not? In a way, Tom’s lifestyle and paycheck makes me envious. Sure, I would love to get paid amounts of money that I couldn’t even count by myself. Sure, I would love to be adored by fans and a loving wife and kids and the famous. Who wouldn’t?

The thing that makes me satisfied of who I am as an artist, is that I was on the other end of that dream. I was broke. I could not create art. I was in sad shape financially, physically, mentally. If some magical being asked me if I wanted to change, you bet I would! I was dying. I did not want to go on, I saw no future for me or my dreams. That’s it. Write me off. Shattered dreams and wasted talent.

BUT….

I had a family that cared for me. They kept me going and made me want to fight back. Sure, I had people say under their breath that I should just give up. Die peacefully. But my family pushed me to get better, stronger, enough so that I could get back on track. I had doctors and nurses that kept up the beat of the drum, to never give up and to keep going. I had friends and neighbors and strangers that said they are praying for me to get better. I had an entire town know who and what I was doing and they supported me.

Now, I am 15 years to the day that I had that nosebleed. That nosebleed helped me notice that I had cancer. Without that warning, I would not be here typing this blog to you. That is how a doctor realized that there was something wrong. That nosebleed that wouldn’t stop, saved my life. Saved my career, saved my dreams.

So today, on a rainy April morning, Holy Saturday to be exact, I say to you that no matter what your dreams are and what you want as “your future”, remember that all those dreams are just that, dreams. Nothing wrong with having goals, living a fantasy, being better. But dreams can change. They can morph into new realities that have no boundaries or be cramped into a small cubicle. Regardless of that, without acting or doing or trying, those dreams are not goals. Give all your effort in all that you do, live your life the way you want to live it. Express it. Show others. Be an example.

Now what does this have to do with teaching an art class? In my class, you have the tools, the instruction, the guidance, to create something out of nothing. You are to make your mark on the world as an individual with dreams and aspirations. To do that you are given the tools, the instruction, the guidelines to accomplish your goal. Much like life, you can do what you want in class, but in the end we have to look at your progress and see where you are going, where you came from, and what you will become. You might not draw very well, or are colorblind and cannot paint, but anyone can create and imagine an infinite amount of unique ideas. With an art class, an instructor can guide you, so eventually, on your own you can create and solve problems in your own way.

That is the reason to have an art class! That is the reason that Art is important! It is a way for you to solve problems that seem unsolvable. I guess I had to have cancer to realize that. There is a reason, in this world that I was given a second chance at life. I was given the chance to teach, an option I did not originally plan for in my life. I guess I am on this earth to help, get those young brains going and try to solve some of these minute problems so that they can can solve the bigger problems later on.  You wouldn’t run in the Boston Marathon without training, so why would you expect anyone to solve problems without ever having to do any?

Don’t get me wrong, art is not all about problem-solving. It is beauty, life, death, hope, fear. Art is many things. We have to appreciate what art can do and what we can do about art. Not everyone is artistic, but we all enjoy things. We have appealing ideas. Art brings all of that together and makes us one. It gets us on the same page. Or on a different page. It opens the mind to new possibilities and ideas and can transcend to other areas not known for artistry.

To do that, is not easy. But we can light the flame of creativity in school, by having a good teacher. A teacher that opens up the world to all the possibilities that are possible and to those other options that are impossible. If we work hard at a project, if we try to do as best as we can, if we fully concentrate on the goal at hand and achieve it, then all my teaching is worthwhile. You, as students have hit the goal, and I,as your teacher, am proud that you have. No amount of money, no fame, no glory is worth more to me than to be a guiding light to a young student. To be an example, to be one of the good guys. 

I hope that I am thought of like that.

A few years ago, I agreed to teach ten home-schooled kids how to create a comic page. Instead of superheroes or an actual storyline that would have to be strategically placed and fit just right, I decided it should be biographical. I chose artists as the theme and each student had to look up a certain famous artist, one that is fairly well-known. The main point of the exercise was to relate an idea to others by the form of a comic book, more specifically a graphic novel. At the end of the class session (about 6 weeks), a finished compilation of comic pages would be put together and distributed into book. I started by creating as an example, a story about Pablo Picasso. The kids who participated did well and I really liked how it turned out.

Now that I am thinking more and more about the compilation the kids made, I keep reverting to my idea of creating a full blown comic book about Picasso. The guy had some interesting thoughts and things that happened to him, and I do not think there has been an idea like this that has been done before. I have one page of the story done (the one I used for the kid’s comic book) but now I must decide on how the whole story will go. Plus since I am doing this on my own, I have to decide, how much I want to invest in publishing this book.

I know I want to gear the book toward comic-book newbies and aficionados. I also want to keep it clean and as guilt-free as possible. So that means no nude paintings. Also no mention of certain acts that are deemed inappropriate toward youngsters. So mainly, it is an informative portrait of the artist, told in comic book-form.

So at this point, I am doing the research and preparatory work for the first draft. I am reading many books and trying to fit ideas together. I could start off with the first page I originally did, or I could use it as parts of the story. In either case, I think I have to make sure it is up to my standards of how I want to present this idea to the public and comic-book world.

I think I will also self-publish my work. There are local printers in town and I think I can work with them on getting my idea finished and in print. I have seen their work, and it is very good. As you can tell, I am favoring one printer so far, but I will not divulge the name of the printer, until I see the final product.

So mark this date down, I officially will kick -off the planned graphic novel of Picasso’s life on February 27th, 2010. I hope to get it published and ready for the public for sale by Christmas this year.

No, I have just been not as inspired to draw or paint lately. I think it has to do with the fact that I am one wing short (I cut my left thumb). Granted, I am right-handed, but it is amazing how many things you use with the other hand when drawing. Sharpening a pencil with the old hand sharpener is basically very difficult. Even putting my hand on the paper, that is tough as I should keep my thumb elevated. This blog is typed virtually without my left thumb. Difficult yes, but not impossible, and I like to think that my other unfinished projects are the same, difficult but not impossible.

So it was a surprise to me when I came home from school to see a comic book on my dresser. Now I know where it came from and how it got there, as I bought it and I just finished reading it. Captain Carrot and the Zoo Crew was my favorite comic book when I was just about 10 years old. I think I bought only one copy as the comic book was not considered that popular. It basically was about animals in a super-hero role without humans. The main super heroes were Captain Carrot, a “Superman type rabbit”, Pig Iron, a musclebound colossus of pork and metal, Rubber Duck, think Plastic Man with a bill and feathers, FastBack the world’s fastest Turtle, Yankee Poodle, a patriotic dog that shoots stars and stripes out of her paws, and Alley-Kat-Dabra, a feline sorceress. The adventures were littered with puns like names of cities (Gnu Yawk, Mew Orleans, Cape Carnivore in FloriDuck, etc.) and names of real people like Byrd Rentals and Rova Barkitt. Granted this comic book was written in the eighties so the names may not be as hip and modern as now.

Anyway, after reading this compilation of comic books, I got some much needed inspiration. The illustration is wonderful and for the most part the storyline is pretty good except for the fact that some characters magically appear and disappear from the book. There is one character named American Eagle. I think it is a neat idea, kind of like a Captain America crossed with Batman but he just disappears after page 77.

Getting back to inspiration, this book brought me back almost 25 years into my own past, when reading a comic book and drawing the characters was my idea of fun. I would spend days scanning through my comic books, looking for the right pose for the right hero or villain and putting them as close as possible on one sheet of scrap paper. The more characters the better. It was actually kind of like a game to see how many heroes I could put on one sheet of paper. I would then color them with a set of 20 artistic markers. All doing this on the good coffee table in front of the television. Back then, I did not need inspiration to draw or create. I just did it.

It is kind of funny to think that a comic book may have gotten me out of a funk. I have tried different music on my ipod, different lighting, taking breaks, not taking breaks, taking a walk. I have tried almost everything I could to avoid the assignment I should just get done.  In essence, a comic book could be labeled a distraction or nuisance to the creative spirit. In fifth grade, I had a teacher that demanded “no cartoons”. What did she expect from ten year-olds?

Sometimes in the least likely of places, inspiration can hit you anywhere.

I better close up this article before all that inspiration rubs away.

But why am I writing a blog about it instead of getting it done?

Well, you might have heard of writer’s block and maybe you have heard about artist’s block. But have you ever heard of Caricaturist Block? You haven’t? Well I tell you Mister or Misses or Ms., it is rough! It is like taking that springy thing on the edge of an notebook, and trying to rip it all out in one piece without making a ticker tape parade in the process.

Drawing caricatures is no easy task, but I have had my share of experiences in doing numerous caricatures. I have drawn so many people that I think I could fit a whole community or small town with all the caricatures I have drawn. It is a natural thing for me. Don’t get me wrong, I am not bragging, but my slogan for my business is, “If you have a face, I can draw your caricature.” Granted it doesn’t roll off your tongue as other slick slogans…but it makes a point. I can draw pretty much anyone or anything.

But here is the problem…I have no fire within me to get this one project done. I do not want to give away too many details as I do not want to tick off the customer, but I will say this, for what I am doing on this one piece, it is definitely not worth the time and price. There are just too many details associated with this piece. Normally I would have no problem with it, but the details do not “jibe” with the whole painting. There are more then 2 people in this painting, each person is carrying a different object and there are numerous photographs to use as reference to the picture. It is like having a term paper due on Monday, you have too many research books, and instead of hunkering down and reading those sources of information, you went out with your friends to Pizza Hut. Okay, that sounds silly. No way in heck would you go to Pizza Hut especially with friends…

I guess I am just avoiding the inevitable. I got to get this painting done so I can move on to other projects. I could work on those “other” projects, but they are not in jeopardy to being finished. Somehow I keep flash-backing to 5th grade and trying to make a diorama of a book I was supposed to read and cull details from to make a scene out of a used Payless Shoebox. All I remember is that I used clay to make an island popping out of the ocean with some tall buildings. Needless to say Sr. Esther was not pleased with my work. In fact another student used G.I. Joes to create the Hobbit. That is another story, and I have digressed to much. I don’t even remember the book, which proves that teachers DO make an impression on students!

So I guess I will finish this blog, eat my lunch, get my ipod ready, and just hammer away at this caricature. I might as well get it done as then typing this blog is just avoiding the inevitable.

Unless of course you have some opinions on this? Seriously, I will listen to anything related to this matter. I can stay online for a bit more….maybe there is a new game on the character arcade….hmmm…..