You may have seen this yesterday on Facebook, but I wanted to write a little story behind it here.When I was in seventh grade, Mr. Shelton, our art teacher asked us to do a free-style picture of a paradise. I dreamed up some palm trees and an ocean setting and started to draw. I don't want to brag, but I almost never got lower than an A-. So, I drew and colored a sunset paradise. It actually looked almost exactly like this real picture I took the other day. I proudly presented my work and it came back graded as an F!
I was soooooo mad I could not look at him for days or weeks. He just didn't understand my artistic feelings. How could he be an art teacher and not "get" what I was drawing and dreaming. I must not have ever really gotten over it because it is still so fresh in my mind...or maybe it was the first time I ever got an F, or maybe I didn't follow directions, or maybe it was just that HE was having a bad day.
Whatever it was...I still remember my sunset paradise! And, I love this dreamy time of day when I can start winding down and enjoy a cool breeze or two with my family.
5 comments:
Funny how we remember the failing grade so much better than the passing ones. I like your adult rationalizing even though the grade still stings!
And I like the photograph Very much.
The tones speak of a red hot day cooling down.
Here the sky is cobalt blue,middle blue and grey- pretty- but NOT red hot!
So, why didn't you ask him what was wrong with it? I remember getting a "D" in English (and I loved English) until I asked, and in Mrs. Murray's gradebook, my grade was a 94, and she read 74, because it was late at night and she was tired, so her eyes didn't focus right.
I wonder if Mr. Shelton remembers that picture/grade.
GramS I would have asked him if I was a little bit older and more sure of myself, but in 7th grade I didn't have enough self-esteem to talk about that. I buried it in my heart until now (hahahaha). But, personally, I still think my picture was beautiful!
That is such a beautiful sunset Karen!!
There must have been a mistake because Mr. Shelton wouldn't have given you an F without a reasonable explanation! (Maybe the F was for you to post it on Facebook someday! Doesn't that sound like a Mom joke? :)
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