Yesterday I heard that my first art professor at Oberlin died this summer. My parents had met in art school, so I had not been without instruction and too much 'help' on school projects, but college was my first time in any sort of class. What I didn't realize then was that since his career had been delayed by a stint in the army, Drawing 101 that year, '46, was also Paul Arnold's first class. I don't know where I expected we would start, but certainly not with the bicycle he wheeled into the center of the studio.
This is a screen-grab of an image I found when I Googled bicycle. It may be close to the concept I had then of 'bicycle', but was not the view I got from my stool - so - - -
It would be nice to think I 'got it' that day–that you really need to look hard at things to draw them. But that was then, and what I thought a lot about yesterday was that he should have just wheeled that thing in every day until I/we did get it. I don't remember any other days except that first one.
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