My first painting was done as surprise present for my mom and dad when I was 5 years old. 

     I remember my mother had to go into Clare to pick my dad up from work and I stayed home to watch my younger brother who was sleeping.  I walked into my parent's bedroom and could see the sun shining through the west window on their wall.  I remember it was a soft blue grey color.  I walked over to the window and looked out.  All I saw were these beautiful flowers of every color you could imagine.  The entire garden was a glow of color. 

     Seeing all the color made me want to paint a picture for my mom and dad.  At that point I realized all I had was a couple of small house brushes.  Then I began thinking about what I could use for colors as I had no paint either.  I walked into the kitchen and found two small brushes and then remembered all the colorful things I had seen in our refrigerator.  I opened the door and found all kinds of colors I could use.  I grabbed mustard, ketchup, and mayonnaise along with my brushes and went back to the bedroom.  My dad wore saddle oxford shoes so he had black, white, and a redish brown colored polish he used on them.  As I walked into the bedroom I spotted the small tins in my parent's closet, so I borrowed them also. 

     By now the sun was getting lower in the sky and I realized that I had to hurry if I was going to get my surprise done before my mom and dad got home.  Looking out the window I realized I didn't have any greens or blues but I remembered I did have a number of crayons that I hadn't thought about until I needed the green and blue.  I ran and got them and immediately started drawing huge flowers on the east and north walls of the bedroom.  I actually stood on my parent's bed that was up against the northeast corner of the room where I was painting.  Once I found I could draw with the black shoe polish I drew every flower and leaf as quickly as possible because the colors were unbelievable.  I went back to the window a number of times to make sure I had drawn them correctly.  Then I began painting the flowers using the brushes with the ketchup and mustard.  As I painted I realized when I mixed the red over some yellow it made orange.  I also found that I could paint with my hand faster and bigger so I put the mayonnaise on with my hand.  I used my dad's shoe polish to add different colors and found it created some really neat marks and colors on the wall. 

     Then I realized I was finished.  I just knew they would like it.  The thought that it was wrong or bad never entered my mind.  All I thought about was giving them a present.  I heard the back door open and my mom's voice so I ran to meet them.  I grabbed them by the hands and told them I had a surprise and present for them.  As we walked through the kitchen into the dining room and then into the living room mom and dad asked what the smell was.  I really hadn't noticed a smell when I was painting because I was eager to paint and didn't realize there was a smell.  When we walked into the bedroom the sun was in its last glory shining through the window and my painting took on an absolutely gorgeous glow.  I proudly told my parents I had done a painting for them at which they replied OH MY, oh my how beautiful. 

     Later after supper they told me they would get me some paper and crayons; in fact, the biggest box they could find.  The smell from my painting was so strong they slept in the living room for a week.  A few days later my Grandma Robinette came over and mom asked me if it would be okay to take the paper off the bedroom walls as the mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, and wall paper were starting to come off the wall anyway.  I said sure, and that's how my career in painting began in 1940 one late summer day in Clare County, Michigan.