My next client was a man, D., and 101 years old. I imagined a man thin and wrinkled with age, with skin like a 90 year resident we had which was so paper thin, one wrong move and she bled. Imagine my surprise when I saw him. He looked 80, slightly stooped with a smile on his face and wearing glasses. Instantly, I relaxed. I knew I would relate to him instantly and did. The feeling was actually mutual. We started talking and did not stop till well after 11 pm. It became a pattern after that. The moment I arrived, we would start conversing till it was time for him to retire to bed.

Later, he told me what struck him was the fact I was able to read a painting of his. Most people would say, “It is nice,” and it ends there while I went into details and saw things others missed. It was a painting I sensed to be more biographical than most of his paintings. It showed a young man, thumb out hitching for a ride with his guitar in one hand, and at his feet bedroll and box with the word Nashville written on a cardboard tied to his guitar. D. saw a look of confidence on the young man’s face, “He leaves knowing he will succeed,” he told me. I saw instead, a look of apprehension in his eyes, uncertainty, some anxiety. He is leaving behind everything familiar, venturing out into a new world, into the unknown. I told D. I have never read or study paintings. I know only what I like, which paintings I am able to get inside and which I am able to relate to.

He showed me other works of his. I was enthralled by some of his early works of advertisements, especially those of children. D. is very good at capturing expression on faces of his subject. What I consider a stroke of his genius was his ability to sell a buxomly character for calendars. While most would sell a character thin and shapely he created a character shapely and buxomly with a lot of flesh on her. He explained that all women like her, the thin ones would think, I am glad I am not like her while the heavier would love her for being heavy and buxomly. He shared with me his past, his history, riveting tales of a young lad, young man, full of energy and very driven. He left for New York, seeking his future armed with little but his skills and talents at painting and drawing and made it as a renowned Artist.

And in that short span of time I got to know him, I learned a lot about painting and art, what brings out some features and what distracts from it. I learn from him also how to live life happily, doing ill to no one and good to all. I will always remember him and thank Life for giving me the chance to take care of him and got to know him and his valuable contribution to the world and world of arts.