More Than Just Paper

I was born into a family of incredibly talented creatives. All of us get a thrill from a blank piece of paper. It is a gateway to anything! It has a life all of its own and it calls to us to bring its powerful magic to life. Not everyone is born with this incredible power.

It is something we hold sacred. It is an incredibly special blessing. That simple piece of paper can take us away from everything bothersome, even if only for a brief time.

My artisitic talent doesn't hold a candle to my siblings and my daughter. They create artful masterpieces that leave folks in awe. I won't bother you with my feeble attempts at drawing or painting. I suppose I do better than the average Joe or Jane, and perhaps if I dedicated as much time to it as my brother or daughter do, I could maybe be considered an artist. I just get too frustrated when what I say in my mind's eye doesn't flow to the paper as I feel it should, so I gave up. Mind you, I do occasionally contemplate taking it up again. For now, I just bow to the true talents in my family and will give them the spotlight in this department.

My oldest brother Ted...

He was one of the first to use a ballpoint pen for more than just to write. He started in 1971 and has been completely dedicated to striving for constant improvement. The detail that he captures with a simple piece of paper and set of good quality pens is unmatched.

These are just a few examples of his smaller pieces, but the man absolutely loves to push his limits and his talent.

In 2011, he set his pen to work on a monumental piece. He was motivated by a desire to help raise funds for The Edmonton Food Bank, a cause near and dear to his heart, considering how often they saved him in his younger days. He was inspired by the upcoming 150th birthday of Canada. The massive project was unveiled at the Edmonton International Airport on May 3rd, 2017, and did a tour of other major Canadian cities throughout the rest of the year.

If you click on the photo credit above it should take you to the complete EIA unveiling album. I'm almost certain this was one of my brother's proudest moments.

If you'd like to see more of the work that he has done in order to help the Edmonton Food Bank, check out his website here.

I can't begin to tell you how awesome it is to have such a talented brother. I'm pretty proud of him.

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My daughter Cait...

She's not nearly as bold as her uncle in sharing her talent with the world. I almost wish she was. I'm sure that her ego being stroked by strangers would do her a world of good. She's terribly shy, suffering from severe anxiety, she hides herself and her talent away from the world. I'm sure she'd be horribly embarrassed were she ever to find out that I'm putting this out for the world to see.

Perhaps I should feel honored that she bestows these gifts upon me. I'm sure that she could build herself quite a profitable business if she weren't so afraid of disappointing people.

Neither Ted nor Cait have taken any formal training. Their talents are all self-taught. I'm in awe.

I look at their work and I see their hearts and souls poured onto paper. As much as I wish that I had the talent to bring pictures to life this way, I am stuck painting my pictures with words.

I suppose I can safely acknowledge that I have a degree of talent in that department. It just doesn't seem quite as glamorous or special.

I know that words can stir emotion, but I don't think they hold the same power to take your breath away.