When I was a child it was not uncommon to see bottles of India Ink and special pens in our home. My mother was an artist. She could draw anything, and her lettering was beautiful. We accepted her gift as a matter of course because we saw it expressed all around us. She took art classes in high school, and that was it as far as training. Later in life she took oil and china painting classes, which only complimented her natural ability. Some people are just like that. The above photo was taken at Chris and Gina's house when we were there recently. You can see a framed sketch that Mother did of Joseph Smith when she was 16 years old. It is amazing! I was pleased to see that Chris and Gina had framed it so beautifully, and displayed it so prominently. I think Mom would be delighted as well.
Above is a sample of her watercolor ability at the same age. She used to frequently draw Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The original Disney movie was released in 1937, when Mom was about 14 years old. We have all seen samples of her Disney drawings through the years.
This is a picture of Mom, Louise Mae Chambers, at 16. She is so cute! Read all the cute things she wrote on it before she gave it to my dad, Jimmie Winspear. They met in high school, or just after. Dad wrote a cute story on his old blog a while ago that you should read regarding this. He calls it The Girl Next Door. (Click it!)Before she passed away I asked Mom why she never pursued a career in art. "I had a family to raise", she said simply. I think in today's world she might have found more commercial opportunities to use her artistic abilities while raising a family. But she never complained. She raised her family and used her talents in Church work, PTA, Girl Scouts, etc. She did it all!
Did her wonderful talent get diluted when it passed down to the rest of us? I don't have talent like Mother, but you all know that I love to design and make quilts. That is where my artistic ability finds an outlet. How about the rest of you? I would love to have you share what talents you possess with us. E-mail me with pictures or whatever and I will post them here for our family to enjoy!
Love to all!
P.S. I just noticed that Mom signed the Grumpy painting as Louise Winspear, 1945! Whoops!
3 comments:
Marcie,
Your mom was beautiful!! That is an awesome picture of her. I don't think I ever knew that she was so talented. What I remember about her home was all the little collectibles. She was one amazing woman!
Like you, my mother is very talented and artistic. I really appreciate you sharing. It really touched my heart! Happy Mother's Day!
Oh Marcie, I can hardly see to type this but I loved the way you honored Mom on Mothersd Day. Isn't she beautiful? I'm still in love. Every once in a while I write some little thought just to let her know my thinking about her is not just in my mind. Some day when I'm gone you will be able to read tham. In the meantime, my blogs are mostly memories of her and our wonderful lives we shared. Love, Dad
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