Nearly every day I try to tackle
some project. Some days it involves the
mundane task of yard work – planting, mowing, trimming, shaping hedges, and
watering. And eventually I discover a
skill I didn’t realize previously.
For instance, mowing the lawn in
one direction rather than the other can make your yard appear larger. Adding fertilizer to the hole before the
potted plant will dramatically aid in its growth. Watering at a particular time will prevent
root rot and diseases in your lawn.
Over the course of time, I
attended elementary school with other kids who seemed to possess extraordinary
skills in artistry.
It was sixth grade, and Sister
Agnes instructed the class to draw a horse.
We all had the same typing-style paper, and rulers, along with erasers.
I was up for the challenge and
began sketching in a manner I felt Pierre-Auguste Renoir would envy. Long strokes, some shading and size variances
for depth would give my pony the edge of the rest of the class’.
Trees and tall grasses were added
to mask the awkward equine legs of my palomino.
Alas, nothing but an alien abduction could save me from this
disaster. My horse looked as though it
was the victim of a train wreck.
I casually glanced over at Janice
Marciniak’s sketch only to discover she had some museum-quality masterpiece
produced by Bob Ross. It was an amazing
rendition that seemed as though it could jump off the page and run at Saratoga
It was about that time I came to
realize drawing and sketching was not going to be part of my career. I am so bad, I actually avoid people who play
Pictionary. But I digress.
Just recently I spotted a police
sketch that was a depiction of a wanted criminal.
The police description indicated
this person-of-interest was either Asian or South American. Not necessarily know to resemble Chinese
people, Peruvians should not be compared to other peoples from the opposite
side of the planet. I'm just saying...
 |
| Actual police-issued drawing and photo |
In any case, a witness to this
crime drew their own rendition of this wanted person, who was subsequently
identified as Hunt Phuoc Nguyen.
As
you can see, this fellow is likely of Vietnamese persuasion, not Argentinian.
But
the important part of this essay is that the witness drawing of Mr. Nguyen
looked very much like my sixth grade horse.
Lancaster Pennsylvania
Police stated online that, “While the sketch provided by the witness
may have appeared amateurish and cartoonish, it, along with the distinctive
physical descriptors, jogged the memory of at least one investigator to provide
a potential suspect name.”
This is all good news because it
has renewed my faith in the fact I may truly be an artist who is just finding
his talent. In fact, I may apply for a
job as a police sketch artist based on the ability of law enforcement to locate
their wanted criminals through rough drawings with which they were working.
After all these decades, I
finally can say Sister Agnes would be proud, and Janice would be jealous beyond
words.
Nya, nya, nya!
