Friday, March 5, 2010

Magpie Tales Photo Prompt Week Four

This week Willow has given us another challenging photo.  Poor little elephant.  A rendering to be sure.  I remember when I was in the fourth grade we were given an assignment to carve a bar of Ivory soap.  A soap carving.  Carve it into something.  Anything. 

I carved.  And carved.  And carved 'till there was nothing left but a pile of soap shavings.  

I got an "F" for the project. 

My aunt, who was a national award winning photographer and artist in the 1960's, (and who is to this day an accomplished and respected artist) marched up to the school and gave the teacher the what for about giving me a failing grade for an assignment that involved a bar of Ivory soap. 

This photo of Willow's carved ivory elephant reminded me of that part of my childhood.  I couldn't help but think that whoever whittled that elephant might, just might, have been a young student, who couldn't quite get it right, or perhaps just a crazed artist!  

Thanks Willow! 

5 comments:

  1. I enjoyed reading this!
    I would have loved your aunt.

    ReplyDelete
  2. nice. so did they change your grade...or did she set them straight? sounds like a good aunt to me...nice magpie.

    ReplyDelete
  3. @ Suz: She was and is one of the first "feminists". A rebel of sorts in her own right, and now at age 86 still a wonderful mind and inspiration!

    @ Brian: LOL....I don't remember anything about the grade, but they did pass me to the fifth grade. UMMM......now I'm wondering if it was the third to the fourth?!? My how the years blurrrrr.....

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ah, the artist aunt. So the artist DNA is dancing in your veins. No surprise, you talented Rick, you.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lucky you for having a wonderful Aunt who went to bat for you,, sorry about the soap though, that would have hurt your pride back then -- looking at the sidebar you went on to bigger and better accomplishments and left the soap bubbles behind you.

    Joanny

    ReplyDelete