Blog

Over the course of the past 7 years or so, I have become more and more passionate about plein air painting.  I have really enjoyed painting in many different locals and regions of the country.  One of the added benefits of painting outdoors in different locations is I often meet a wide variety of people.  The list is long, but some folks just stand out.  Those folks do because they are people who would not likely come up and introduce themselves to me, if not for the fact that they are curious about my painting.  I have met rich people, also people who are living at a homeless shelter or on the street, and every type of person in between. 

Some people tell me about their experiences with art or even occasionally their dealings with other artists.  I once met a couple who had been in the process of commissioning Henry Moore to do a sculpture for their town just before Henry had died.  I could barely believe my ears when they told me how they had ate lunch with Henry at their first meeting.  Another time I was painting on the beach at Lake Michigan when a young very hip couple came up to me.  The woman was barely covered with anything other than her bright amazing tattoos.  Her muscled companion sported not only the tats about also rings in several key places on his body.  They introduced me to their panting bulldog and then they stood and talked with me for some time about the type of art they enjoyed and their tattoo designs.   

Today I had another encounter that I will remember for years to come.  I woke up around dawn and peeked out the window to see fog hanging in the air, so I gathered my equipment with my morning cup of coffee and off I went!  I decided to paint on a piece of land that is used for a bi-weekly produce auction.  This spot is near my home and surrounded by neat Amish farms.  I did one painting and had just begun a second painting when an adolescent boy walked up behind me.  From his clothing and hair cut, I assumed him to be either Amish or Mennonite.   We began chatting and he ended up staying there watching me paint until I finished the painting. 

As I drove home I reflected on the interesting things I had learned so easily from him.  His name was Michael and he was in fact Amish.  His 20 year old sister loved to paint, especially on old milk cans and she was going to some type of school to study art.  (That really had taken me by surprise.)  Michael was going into the 6^th grade and his favorite subject is German.  That came easily for him since his family often spoke Pennsylvania German at home.  He told me that the Amish school had an auction for the students each year.  The students earn “auction money” by getting good grades throughout the year.  That was obviously one of the high points to the year for Michael. 

I learned a lot of small tidbits from Michael, such as his apparent distain for anything to do with computers, not surprising…computers most likely and understandably would be viewed as an unnecessary evil by most people in the Amish culture.  One small item that came up during a story I was telling Michael surprised me.  I found out he had never heard of a sky lift ride or a ski lift.  When I tried to explain what one was, it seemed he couldn’t grasp what I was telling him, so I just went on with the remainder of the story.  But as I thought about that part of our conversation, it made me wonder just how many other things we take for granted that Michael and his friends have never even heard of. 

I might feel sorry for Michael, but he obviously was very happy and seemed very well adjusted.  While he wasn’t overly talkative, he knew how to contribute well to a conversation.  We would chat a bit and then I would stop talking as I was concentrating on my painting.  Then Michael would volunteer a different bit of information about his life.   Besides helping on the family farm, Michael told me he really enjoyed playing baseball with his friends during the afternoon.  At first I thought this took place during school, but he told me they played all through the summer.  At that point, I almost wished that my children had been raised Amish.  How long had it been since my boys went outside to play a ballgame or played anything other than “X” Box or Play Station? 

As I reflected on my conversation with Michael, I also realized that it had taken place within about 60 to 70 minutes.  Yet I had learned more about him and his life style than I have from any other Amish person living near me.  (And we have a lot of Amish neighbors, some of whom live right across the street from our home.)  I hope nothing I have written seems trite or unkind.  I really do feel honored to have met Michael and gotten to know him.  I hope that someday when I go back to the same location to paint, that I might have the pleasure of meeting his sister.  I also look forward to meeting many more interesting people when I am painting in public in the future!