The Tangrens

My Dad grew up in a very artistic family. His Dad is an artist, and most of his siblings have careers in the arts. My Dad studied art in school and was a layout artist for the yellow pages for decades. I have memories of my dad sitting up in the beach grass on the sand dunes with his sketch pad and pastels capturing the sand and surf. Although I don't remember him painting with oils much growing up the scene of curled up oil paint tubes an easel and a oil paint smeared palette is just "home" to me. ( It's no wonder that when I went to Derek's apartment when we were dating and saw oil paints out in his house I felt all the more connected to him-like playing with loaded dice) But my dad hadn't done anything with non digital art in years. He always said that he was too busy to create but since retiring in 2007 I was determined to reintroduce him to his roots, despite the trepidation he felt to put paint to canvas.

When I was back in Michigan for 6 weeks I decided that I would try to make that happen. So one day we were I deemed it "Art day". We pulled out paper and markers, put a old shirt on Hyrum and put him at the table to create some art work himself.
Hyrum was SOOO excited to draw especially with markers. I tried so many times to capture it but unfortunately this was my best picture...
But my dad didn't participate in this art day. I was undeterred. So two weeks later I tried again. I turned on tropical music and put out his sketch pad. He was tired of my pestering I'm sure and consented to at least make an attempt. Without being able to see his subject he turned to the familiar, digital, for inspiration.
And instead of oil paints he tried oil pastels. The oil pastels he used were his fathers that cost around 20 cents when they were purchased. So that tells you how long they've been around. But at the end of the day he was surprised how pleased he was with the results. After a few tweeks he thought he was almost done. He wouldn't let me take a picture of it before it was complete and he hadn't signed it by the time I left to come back to Utah.

Then when he came out to help us paint the house he brought a house warming gift...the picture, framed and signed. It was entitled "Home". And it's perfect. It was the first picture we put on the wall in our house.
Thank you daddy! I love it! And I love you!!