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I worked in an adult care facility. One of the patients, a 90 year old man, was a painter. He made so many of the pieces that hung around the facility. We were
by jason_slack 8y ago
I worked in an adult care facility. One of the patients, a 90 year old man, was a painter. He made so many of the pieces that hung around the facility.
We were friendly. He would talk to me. He would ask for me when he needed something. He told me I reminded him of his son.
He asked me one day if I knew how to paint. I said no. He asked if I wanted to learn. I said yes. He said go buy these supplies and show up here tomorrow morning. $500 later I was ready.
We watched Bob Ross literally for a week. Then he showed me how to gesso a canvas. Then we painted. And painted. And pulled all nighters like we were 20.
He passed away 2 months after. I still paint and I never would have otherwise.
Edit: just one funny thing I remember. This man asked my wife to the movies! She said yet. She went to pick him up but he was tired. They watched “Dumb and Dumber” (in 2017) and had popcorn. He fell asleep before the moves was 1/4 over. :-)
- forkandwait 8y agoOne, that's beautiful and makes me want to cry. Two, it speaks to getting over the hump of learning something hard, where you have to work 100s of hours, feeling incompetent, before the payoff. Maybe intensives like you did are the best way to get through those gross learning curve stages. Thanks for sharing the best thing I read on the internet this year.
- jason_slack 8y agoThank you. Very sweet of you. It’s funny how you embark on something because you just want to try it and then it becomes something more. I hope my children embrace life early on. Maybe if that is all the wisdom I pass on to them it mean I will have been successful.
- forkandwait 8y agohttps://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-bob-ross-everyones-favorite-art-teacher https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-bob-ross-every...
- jason_slack 8y agoThank you.
- jacquesm 8y agoAwesome story, thank you for sharing that.
- dvt 8y agoThanks for the great and touching story! Posts like these is why I love HN so much.