3. Draw Me

I GREW UP in an orchard out in the country. Boredom was a constant issue, usually relieved by building forts and playing war with my brothers. I also read a lot, and drew pictures. The highlight of summer days was to run down to the mailbox at 11:00 am to get the mail (I was always sending away for free dog stuff from Purina coupons).

ONE DAY, when I was around 10, I found a matchbook with a picture of a pirate on it and the words "Draw Me". Inside the cover it said "Take your time and do a good job – this could be your 1st step to a scholarship AND a lifetime of creating art." My parents agreed to enrolling me and magic appeared in my life, about every 6 weeks, in a large envelope.

ART INSTRUCTION, INC. began in 1914, and is still going today. Tippy the Turtle, Cowboy, Boxer and Pirate adorned matchbooks and magazine ads to entice would-be-famous artists to learn at home. Their list of instructors was impressive. Famed alumni include John Clymer, Morrie Turner, and Steve Benson, just to name a few. Charles Schultz (of Peanuts comic strip) took the course while in high school, and then later became an instructor with the school. In fact, several of his  comic characters, including Charlie Brown and Linus, were based on people that he worked with.

I DIDN'T know any of this at the time. I did know that anyone who would pay the tuition could take the course. But I felt special anyway. And, oh, it felt like Christmas morning when that package arrived.

AND it did lead to a lifetime of creating art as advertised.

2. Crazy About Dogs

SIXTH GRADE was coming up, and my parents decided to send my 2 older siblings to Catholic school. I cried and begged to go as well, and they relented. The phrase 'be careful what you wish for' comes to mind.

I ARRIVED at my new school equipped with a solid understanding of what learning was all about: questions, curiosity, exploring and laughter. I was shocked when I learned I had been led astray and, for the next 3 years, I struggled against being stuffed into a box way too small. Everything was upside down.

I WAS TOLD to repent and ask forgiveness for my bad thoughts and actions. What bad thoughts and actions? All I wanted to do was hold puppies, read stories about them, and draw them.

I WAS CRAZY about dogs, something I've never outgrown. By 10, I had owned 2 of my own and been to my 1st dog show. But the nuns were worried. If my love were for horses, that would be normal for a girl my age, but because my obsession was for 4-legged animals of the canine variety, it was cause for concern. They considered it unhealthy and advised my parents to seek help for me, which they ignored.

A FEW YEARS ago, I painted this picture. I included it in shows with every intention of selling it. One day I looked at all the books and realized they were the best part of those school days, and so I decided not to sell it. It's hanging in my bedroom.

1. Kaweah School

SOMETIMES I think I became an artist because of all the people throughout my life who either told me I would be an artist, or told me I would never be an artist. This woman, Mrs. Chappell, was of the former group.

I SOLD my first painting to her in 1959. I was 7 years old and she was my 2nd grade teacher. I attended Kaweah School, which sat alongside a ditch lined with Eucalyptus trees, and included 3 classrooms and a tool shed converted into a cafeteria. It was here that I fell in love with blue-bellied lizards, snakes and birds with broken wings; the smell of new books; and finger-paints and scissors.

I PAINTED a stuffed donkey one day, which she deemed good enough to enter into the county fair. When told I was too young to enter, Mrs. Chappell was furious, and bought it from me.

I IGNORED most of the lessons Mrs. Chappell tried to teach me in those days, but praise sticks like bubble gum, and, 50 years later, I am still grateful.