Short Story by Richard Symes

            A boy who learned the art

            Of being an artist

          By: Richard Symes

     It all started one day when I saw my uncle drawing a master piece.

A piece I will never forget for the rest of my life. Until this day I believe

it changed my life or somewhat set the path that I’m on now.

     I always see my uncle draw stuff and they are all good, but on this

particular day in summer of 1976 he was drawing a park full of swan

and he drew it big, the kind that can be hanged on the wall like a

painting. I went in his room and sat for awhile just watching him at

work. Then after awhile I finally ask him can you teach me to draw

like you, and he turned around and stared at me for a minute, then

he said: "I can’t teach you how to draw it’s something that has to

come from within", at first I never understand what he meant by that,

so for the next months I went searching from within.

     At first I went thru a period of tracing different art and styles, trying

to find my way, little did I know it was the beginning of great things to

come. For months I was going thru some Observational learning to

improve myself. Every now and then my uncle would look over my

shoulders and pass little remarks, but in a way of encouragement.

     But what I didn’t realize he was reinforcing me with positive thoughts

to continue and don’t give up. Another is he was secretly teaching

me in his own way.

     Few years had gone by and I had reached the stage of drawing

just by looking at something without tracing it. I got so good I even

enter in school art contests and won a few awards, and by doing so I

gain the confident to go on. I was starting to sense a feeling that I

had what it takes from within that uncle was talking about earlier.

What I have learn is that in life you are either a doctor, mechanic,

a scientist or an artist only you can tell from within.

05-06-2008