Alas this was my downfall! Mrs. Parks used my painting to demonstrate what not to do. She stood in front of the class and dispensed with her theory of mountains and trees. “Mountains, are all nicely rounded, Class. And trees have a straight trunk with a nice circle of leaves at the top.” She admonished these lies in a tone of finality as she peered over her spectacles.
“Good Grief!” I often thought, “Mountains like heaps of mashed potatoes in a bowl! Trees like lollipops!” Yet my recollections of the majestic Sierra Nevada Range
produced vivid impressions of towering peaks with rough sharp edges. I scrutinized the family photo album to confirm I was not having an illusion. The photos confirmed by case: Mountains are jagged! I studied the pine trees in these pictures, all had slender branches at the top pointing heavenward. I looked outside at our large apricot tree, and it did not look like a lollipop either!
Then came the ill-fated day, she gave us the Park’s premise on color. This was in respect to clouds and mountains of course. “Clouds are always white. Mountains are always purple. ALWAYS!” She said her voice rising an octave.
I didn’t even protest this fable. If poor Mrs. Adele Parks had never seen the effects of an overcast sky; a sunrise or sunset, then who was I to confuse her mentality?
I felt sorry for her…having missed these wonders.
It’s been many years since fifth grade. I often think of Mrs. Parks, although I didn’t like her very much, she taught me a lesson in perseverance. It is not often I pick up paint brush to paint what I see. Oh no, my tools have changed to pen, paper and computer. I still visit the Sierras every chance I get; I cease to be awed at the beauty of this corner of God’s masterpiece.
Thus I have only one conclusion, God is the Master Painter. He has created clouds, mountains, trees which no one can copy. And which make Mrs. Adele Parks’ art lesson a sad fable. A wonderful thought plays in my memory each time I think about this grade school experience as I visit the Sierras:
God saw all that He had made, and it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning - the sixth day. Thus the heaven and earth were completed in all their vast array. Genesis 1:31 to 2: 1
