Jon, Jon.
Highly creative, beautifully expressive, and refreshingly authentic 11 year-old who I first meet him a few years back when he came to my studio for private art lessons.
He walked in my studio wearing his favorite sweatshirt, humming a tune, and proudly holding a microphone. “Ahh, I see you love music! Did your mom explain to you about my project?,” I nervously asked. With a big smile he responded: "I got this, I got this Mrs V.” In the back of my head I was questioning if someone his age had any true experience with labeling yet.
To my surprise, he started talking just like all my other models had. “Well, I am friendly, kind and good a listener to my friends, but some people don't like that because I don't act like them. They think I should be macho and tough, so they say I am soft and they bully me.”
I was dumbfounded. There I sat in front of a pure hearted young man with the courage to bring kindness into the world, and he was not valued by his peers. To me, his perceived weakness is actually an ability to understand and be gentle with people, which shows maturity beyond his years. Like many models, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to capture this in a painting.
I asked him to try a pose that showed who he is-- powerful and strong. He immediately crossed his arms over each other and turned a little to the side. I smiled, there it was, the perfect blend of strength and gentleness.
Highly creative, beautifully expressive, and refreshingly authentic 11 year-old who I first meet him a few years back when he came to my studio for private art lessons.
He walked in my studio wearing his favorite sweatshirt, humming a tune, and proudly holding a microphone. “Ahh, I see you love music! Did your mom explain to you about my project?,” I nervously asked. With a big smile he responded: "I got this, I got this Mrs V.” In the back of my head I was questioning if someone his age had any true experience with labeling yet.
To my surprise, he started talking just like all my other models had. “Well, I am friendly, kind and good a listener to my friends, but some people don't like that because I don't act like them. They think I should be macho and tough, so they say I am soft and they bully me.”
I was dumbfounded. There I sat in front of a pure hearted young man with the courage to bring kindness into the world, and he was not valued by his peers. To me, his perceived weakness is actually an ability to understand and be gentle with people, which shows maturity beyond his years. Like many models, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to capture this in a painting.
I asked him to try a pose that showed who he is-- powerful and strong. He immediately crossed his arms over each other and turned a little to the side. I smiled, there it was, the perfect blend of strength and gentleness.