I taught a class Friday and got the inevitable question
all teachers get ..."how do you know when you're done?"
And so I told my Dr. Nichol's story, again.
Dr. Alice Nichol's, was Dean of the Fine Arts Department
when I was in college about 100 years ago.
She was a close friend & contemporary of
the famous artist, Georgia O'Keefe.
She was a no-nonsense, one-of-a-kind, force-of-nature.
Short, grey hair in a flat top, horned rimmed glasses,
smoked a pipe, wore motorcycle boots, rode a motorcycle or
drove her MG convertible & carried a little dog under her arm.
You've got the picture, right?
This was in conservative Indiana in the 60's.
She visited our advanced painting class (she was not the instructor) she walked slowly around without saying anything, then left.
The whole class was still buzzing when she returned,
took my painting and left, without a word!
I was near cardiac arrest, as others tried to comfort me.
She returned again and said ...
"some of you don't know when to quit ...
so I have to take it away from you."
I have told that story hundreds of times,
and it is still relevant for me.
Many artists will relate, as it is so easy to go too far.
Today I heard my response to this question in today's class ...
"Ya gotta stop before ya goof it up!"
Not very eloquent, but true none the less.
Thank you Dr. Nichols!
A smile for Saturday ...
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