EVERYTHING HAS A STORY

 

 Everything has its story……

 

BOB'S STORY

The painting on the wall of our den,

a watercolour, 

purchased years ago,

a story…. with its own story.

There’s a name displayed,

Robert Patterson, and

a date when made, 

1989. 

Bob was our friend,

gone now,

not allowed to fade,

as many artists do.

No,

Bob,

although aging, 

and reclusive in his ways,

was not allowed to grow older,

be forgotten, and

...................simply fade away.

No, 

as it was,

perhaps,

supposed to be,

the Fates would have their day,

and hasten his going away.

Already suffering….

like Humpty Dumpty,

of nursery rhyme fame,

he had a fall,

broke his head, and

no amount of effort by….

“all the king's horses and all the king's men”,

…………..could put Bob back together again.

And so the story was supposed to end, but

Bob’s story lingers,

hidden,

in layers of pigment painted on paper,

a painting hanging on our wall, 

a story waiting to be told…..

A teacher, 

talent he shared, but 

bohemian by nature,

Bob shunned success,

solitude his quest, 

he fled north,

where his spirit soared.

He wandered the lakes, 

and the forests alone, 

made sketches…. then paintings, 

to share what he’d seen.

The painting,

the one on our wall,

a quiet scene,

a northern landscape,

spruce trees, an island, and

a single Common Loon,

a wilderness preserved,

Bob’s legacy shared,

a story now told.

This is not the painting  on our wall. It's a watercolour done from a sketch made somewhere in Lake Superior Provincial Park When I get around to it I'll photograph our painting, and download it for you to see. In the meantime this is one of Bob's watercolour paintings that I found in a news article on the World Wide Web. No doubt I'm not allowed to copy this photo, but seeing how this site is non commercial and we're posting it for the world to appreciate , I feel certain that no one should object. Bob spent hours layering dry-brush watercolour putting together a small collection that he would offer up for sale at the local Legion each year. He never really was properly paid for his effort. But then, that was Bob, beyond generous with his art and teaching.