Charmed Life by Gretheline Bolandrina

Very well said, by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) no less; he was born in Spain, a child prodigy as recognized by his art-teacher father, who ably led him along. And such a long way he went. Just saying “it’s a Picasso” explains an artwork in itself. Had I not been a parent, I would just admire Pablo Picasso, but knowing what parenthood entails, I admire his parents all the more.

My earliest art recollection was watching my Mom do her teaching visual aids on colored paper, “cartolina” and manila paper. She drew objects freehand. Very natural, just second nature. I enjoyed doing my own grade school projects, be it simple drawings or arts and crafts using native materials like shells, coconut husks, twine, et al. For a summer, when I was 14, I took a free charcoal drawing class at the Quezon City Children’s Museum. First time I ever got a sketch pad! With its big blue glossy cover, it was a prized possesion. I did a lot of still lifes and even a nude (quite radical for a publicly funded children’s program). I learned shading, proportions, depth. I’ve met and seen real artists at work. Quite impressive. I learned to appreciate framed artwork. I see and hear, sort of what the art pieces speak of. Around the same time, a book I was reading had something to do with Vincent Van Goh, then, there’s the song “Vincent” and I was hooked. He’s my all time favorite artist. In Nursing school, I got an “A” for an English paper I wrote about art and healing, where I of course got to mention Vincent Van Goh and my take on his life and situation, every chance I got.

I’ve taken oil painting classes under Dorothy Simone of the Danforth Museum of Art (Framingham, MA). I like working in oil. I had a short stint as assistant manager in my friend Elizabeth’s Art and Frame shop. I am an accidental artist. Where most of my artwork, I give as gifts to friends and family, I have sold two 16 x 20 framed oil on canvas. The very first one to a boyhood friend of my husband Joe who was visiting our home and saw my uncompleted work while still on the easel. The other, to our realtor who helped us sell our old home and purchase the new one we currently live in. Fast forward to the here and now. Our four children, Jesi (15), Gino (13), Lilly (5) and Max (3) are all artists. A very bold statement coming from a parent! But, like my mother and her mother, I steered my children into trying their hands onto what is available. And we do it all together. When I took to doing oils on canvas, Jesi and Gino did too. They even did better than me in that their work was part of an exhibit at Woodshed Gallery in Franklin, MA. They’ve won coloring contests (I never did; now at this stage, I never will). Lilly loves watercolors and has helped me complete several welcome banners of Crayola paint on white fabric. With her temperament, she’s the most artistic of all. Our youngest, Max loves to “color-color” and like his siblings before him, he’d taken to not just the canvas but also, our brand new home’s walls. Jesi took a photo of his wall scribbles, printed them on rice paper and I framed them in dark cherry. At age 2, Max won his first art contest at Douglas Oktoberfest! I have not painted since 2002, Jesi’s now into writing, Gino cooking, Lilly into girly stuff and Max is a big monster truck fanatic. One of these days, we’ll pick up a brush again and sort of pick up where we left off. We have yet to create our masterpieces but our everyday life is filled with art, we’ve barely noticed that we’ve not painted in so long. Just the same, I’d like to still think that all my children are artists; after all, none of them have grown into adulthood yet. It is the here and now that I treasure, Jesi writing poems, Gino making funky sandwiches, Lilly dressing in pastels and Max crashing his monster trucks, as we enjoy what life has in store for us, the reality of it including all the artistic aspects. It helps that we have Joe, our number one fan.

Feel free to e-mail me reactions, comments and or suggestions for ideas to ponder. Contact me at Gretheline@aol.com or through Carousel Productions.

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