Seattle Art Journey

Behind the Artwork

Charcoal study portraitThe Gage Academy of Art challenged me to change. For seven hours every day in this Seattle art school, I studied classical portrait drawing followed by private tutoring in figure drawing each evening.

Then one day there, a stranger gave me a gift of words. After I ran into an elderly Chinese gentleman in the morning and again in the evening, he asked, “You were in class all day, and you are studying again in the evening?”

I answered, “Yes.”

“You will reach success because of your will,” he replied. “You are willing to work very hard.”

Although it has been a great opportunity to further my education, it will take a tremendous amount of commitment to sharpen my skills. Persistence pays. I hope to be a life-long learner. And I hope this stranger’s right.

My father had a very simple view of life; you don’t get anything for nothing. Everything has to be earned, through work, persistence and honesty. Grace Kelly

IMAGE: Study, Pamela Alderman, Charcoal on paper, 18 x 24 inches, 2016

The Red Umbrella

Behind the Artwork

I purchased a red paper umbrella while visiting Japan, forgetting that it wouldn’t fit in my suitcase. When I started my journey back to the United States, a polite Japanese woman behind the ticket counter said that I wouldn’t be able to take the umbrella through security. So she took the umbrella, assuring me that I would be able to retrieve it at the end of my flight.

I thought I would never see my umbrella again, especially since it didn’t have any packaging to protect it. After thirteen hours and eleven minutes of flying and switching planes, I arrived home. When I went to the baggage claim area, I spotted a red umbrella—my lovely umbrella. The polite Japanese woman was right; the paper umbrella safely traveled 6351.6 miles without a nick or a tear.