The Road to Success

Smiley Face in Jail Poster
Smiley Face in Jail Poster
by doonidesigns

I have a very strange story to tell, one that had me shake my head in wonder and laughing at what it means to be an artist.

This story is a true story and was told to me by Mr. Holton, another artist. He said that one day a young lady came to his studio wanting to be considered as an exhibiting artists at one of his shows. When asked to show her portfolio, she produced several sheets of what seems like typewriter paper with watercolor style paintings on them. The art looked interesting enough, but the presentation had a lot to be desired. Mr. Holton told her that these works are very nice and yes that she could display them, but they first needed to be properly framed and readied for an exhibit.

Vintage Black White Paris Amour Eiffel Tower Magnetic Photo Frame
Vintage Black White Paris Amour Eiffel Tower Magnetic Photo Frame
by kicksdesign

At this point the young ladies face fell and she said she could not afford frames. She went on to say that she had very little money and no car, she had taken the bus and walked a great deal to make just make it to this studio.

Now here is where it get's just unreal. As Mr. Holton tried to explain ways to make the work more presentable, she tells him that she just got out of prison and could not even afford the cheapest of those options.

Apparently this young lady used to be a professional dancer, who after an injury lost her job and somehow got involved with drugs, which in turn lead to her eventually landing in jail. Over time, being an artist, she wanted to pass her time doing something creative and one day took some plain old paper and dissolved some skittles in water and started to create these paintings. When asked what she used for black, she replied: "The Chicanas here gave me their old mascara!"

Cosmetics Classic Round Sticker
Cosmetics Classic Round Sticker
by trezher

Mr. Holton said, he could not believe what he was hearing. Needless to say he helped this young woman create a representable display of her work. She sold all her work at the show and moved on to buy real art supplies. I think?!

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