This is the perspective of the artist of the month, Lian Lee:
"I initially met Rob about six years ago, while playing Ping
Pong. While sitting next to him, waiting for my turn to play, I
mentioned to Rob that one day, when I couldn't play anymore, I
wondered what else I could do. He said, 'Why don't you come to the
Drawing & Sketching class that I teach?' Not having any drawing
experience, I decided to take on the challenge and started going to
his class. It turned out to be a really big surprise.
"The first three assignments were to draw an elephant, a forest,
and then a building. Once completed, I was free to choose any
subject and drawing media. For more than two years now, I've
been painting with watercolors. I made a lot of mistakes and
spent considerable time correcting them, but I enjoyed the learning
experience. Through Rob's vision towards art and his warm
encouraging words the class learns a lot during critique time of
everyone's work. Plus, it's always enjoyable to see the other students'
pictures. In addition to learning how to draw and paint this class
offers something even more wonderful… new friendships! For
example, Norm Schipske offered to give me swimming lessons. He
loaned me a green pool noodle and I wore a red swim cap during
these sessions. Then he gave me an even bigger surprise. He painted
a picture of me, learning to swim and he gifted it to me (see insert at
left).
"Thank you Norm and his wife Theresa! You really gave me a
precious experience and gift, and I will remember this for my entire
life."
FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | FEBRUARY 2020 47
Mixed Media
Arts Class
Classes are Mondays, 10 am to 12
noon, and/or Wednesdays, 6 to 8 pm.
Classes are free to our residents. If
you have any questions, call Rob Kelman at (951) 992-9156. ~
Rob Kelman
Above art by Artist of the Month Lian Lee
