Day 12

Day 12: RCC; CSUSB: BFA and MA WC:
At Riverside City College (now called Community College), I took design and drawing classes, and anthropology and Spanish classes. Also interesting was the botany class I took, taught me how to make a plant press and use it to preserve specimens of plants. I bought a volume of a classic and famous plant identification book, which catalogued all plants according to the number and type of leaves, the number and type of flower petals, and the structure of the stems. For example, all members of the rose family have petals in multiples of five, and all mint plants have squared stems. There are serrated leaves, multiple leaves, smooth edge leaves, round, triangular, and long thin leaves. Even some cactus varieties have leaves, though they are very small and not recognized by most people as the leaves they really are. The members of the conifer family share certain key characteristics as do members of the pine and fir families. It was fascinating, and I dried, pressed, and mounted plant and flower specimens on dozens of cards for identification. I love the science of it. Our class took field trips to river beds, canyons, woods and deserts to find new plant specimens. I drew and painted with watercolors a number of illustrations. Now, years later, I have no recollection of where all those things went, it was so long ago, before I was 27 or so.
In drawing class, I drew nude figures and landscapes to the sound of Indian music, sitar and other instruments creating an exotic atmosphere that made my works go so much better. That is when I learned of the tight connection between painting and music. One influences the other. As I went through the classes for two years, it was idyllic, peaceful days of study, reading, painting, drawing, and being at home each evening with Pete, my heart and my soul.
After graduating from the community college with Deans List standing and high grades, I transferred to California State College in San Bernardino, to go onward and earn the bachelors degree in Fine Arts with minors in art history and French. Classes in Oceanic art, Egyptian art, African art and contemporary art were mixed with sculpture and printmaking classes. I learned how to make lithographs, etchings, woodblock and screen prints. Sculptures of clay, plastic, leather, and paper mache were fashioned into submissions for the instructor's critique. Painting class was of course my favorite. One oil portrait I completed was so realistically done that the instructor thought it was a photograph.