Artist’s Profile: Sandra Lee Bolm
What better topic is there for a 20-something-year-old semi-professional blogger to write about than her mother?
Or, in my mother’s case, her art.
My mother has always been an artist on the verge of making a living from it. Or, at least, on the verge of making a little spending cash.
She’s had quite a few setbacks along the way. She’s had long periods where she’s picked up nary a paintbrush. Where she hasn’t been able to afford canvases or the expensive oil paints she uses. Still, she’s never given up on her passion. In this, she’s probably been the best role model I’ve ever had.
I don’t think she’s ever lived up to her true potential. All of her paintings are based off of other paintings or photos, while I prefer works of art based in fantasy. Like I’ve written before, the one time she let her art really shine, she quit because she was disturbed at what she found.
Of course, I’m biased, but not in the way most people would expect. I see my mother’s work the same way I see my own writing. I’m so accustomed to it, I often see little problems to pick at. And, as with my own writing, I lose sight of the big picture because of these trouble spots.
When a stranger sees her work, her/his eyes usually light. They see a woman who paints with a skill most people either don’t possess or don’t nurture. When I see a bird out of proportion to a tree or a misshapen palm frond, it bothers me. I envy those who see the beauty over flaws.
But, I’m a picker. My mother will always be my mother, and I will always cart her art around to promote it when I can, and her paintings will always grace my walls.
November 15th, 2007 at 11:46 pm
Heya Wendy,
I love reading your comments and I have to say your latest one inspired me to write about feminism and my views. It is a topic I have been thinking about more and more and one that I am sure will be close to my heart in the future as my daughters grow up. Perhaps I am not the most controversial feminist figure, but rather somewhere in the middle, nonetheless I do think that the message (radical or not) needs to heard by even those who disagree since that is the only way to break down barriers. Peace out double W.
Joe
November 18th, 2007 at 9:15 pm
Just checking out your blog. Good start and keep writing. Let me know when you do a series on younger woman artists or interview with older women artists. Keep writing,
Mary MacIntyre
http://www.about-albuquerquenm.com
November 19th, 2007 at 11:53 am
Ah, so your creative talents are inherited! I like your mother’s work. She seems to have a sweet, light touch.
November 19th, 2007 at 12:15 pm
Keli,
My creative talents were inherited. My mother was especially disappointed when I proved I could paint and draw but wasn’t very interested. She always tried to get me to quit writing, until she started seeing my name in print. Now, she brags to all of her friends every time I’m published.
November 25th, 2007 at 11:21 pm
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