My Dad

I grew up in a middle class blue-collar family in which my dad worked hard as a Tool & Die maker to give us a good life.  I never gave much thought until recently as to whether my dad had missed any opportunities in life by choosing to be responsible in supporting his family.  I did however recognize that he had latent artistic talent and desire to express this.  My dad enjoyed painting and he had even entered drawing contest (winning some) but responsibilities and opportunities conflicted with each other so pursuing his creative talent always took 2^nd place to reality.

I don’t believe that he ever had any formal training in art but it was just something he gravitated toward.  He drew many sketches on many different surfaces but the one I remember most was when he painted the basement wall at our house in Walnut Park (5630 Pamplin Place).  When I was about 5 years old my dad painted Disney characters on one the entire wall in the basement, including Mickey, Minnie, Donald Duck, Goofy, Jiminy Cricket, etc.  These cartoon characters were each 3 to 4 foot tall.  How cool was that!  It was the best basement in the neighborhood without a doubt.  Everyone that came over commented how good it looked.  I think it made him proud that he had some acknowledgement of his talent even though he could not pursue it as a career. 

I enjoyed the cartoon wall mural but I didn’t really appreciate the time and effort that my dad put into painting it or the sacrifice he made giving up his artistic passion for his family by choosing responsibility.  I was just a kid age 4 or 5 so I was just in that fog which kids seem to be in most of the time.  My dad got to express his artistic talent by painting but just for fun, I hope it was enough to satisfy him.  I would ask him questions about his sketches; it was interesting to hear him talk about drawing, I could tell he really enjoyed it.  

He continued to paint and draw throughout his life whenever he had a chance, I think it was relaxing for him.  Dad painted another mural at  our house in Bellefontaine Neighbors (1023 Avant), a mountain ski scene, which I tried to help with, but I did not acquire the artistic gene.

Sometimes talents skip generations, as did this one. My son (Patrick) picked up the artist gene and is now an Architect and sketches frequently.  At least someone in our family can carry on with our creative side. 

I have included a self portrait my Dad sketched of himself late in his life.

We all have special talents and maybe they are not all meant to be a career, but just to bring us joy.