I have a freakishly good memory. And by “good memory,” I could not tell you
what classes I took my freshman year of college, but I can certainly tell you
about the time in first grade when my friend stole my crayon out of my
Spacemaker pencil box and how mad I was because it was my
favorite “green blue” color. Not “blue green”- that one was dull and muddy, but
“green blue” was more intense and turquoise.
I could also describe the situation where Martha yelled at the old man
across the street and she was wearing a matching knit navy blue shirt and
shorts, or all about the pattern of my favorite red floral leotard from my
glory gymnastic days.
Using descriptive colors always serves as my “proof” that
I’m remembering correctly. My mom thinks
it’s hilarious because apparently it’s an unconscious habit. When I’m recounting an event, describing the
surrounding colors seems equally as necessary as who was there and when it
happened.
This theme of my life is actually so significant that it
inspired my mom’s most epic wedding toast to me and my husband Ryan on the
night of our rehearsal dinner. (My mom
is LITCH-rally the most thoughtful, hilarious, smart
woman, but she is a horrific artist), so when her toast is complete with a
giant drawing pad of crayon drawings of my life, you can imagine the entertainment
she provided. She prefaced her speech
with an annotation of my habit of color-recounting, and then proceeded to show her drawings of memories and stories of my life which included EACH family member and friend in
the room, leading up to when I met my husband and our new life
together.
By the end, our cheeks were
sore from laughing (not only at her creativity and narratives, but also
at her stick-figure drawings) and streaked with tears. She toasted our lives to
“happy and colorful memories,” and I can’t think of anything more appropriate
to incorporate into children’s lives and my art. As a person who still vividly remembers the
colors of my nursery and the art that hung on the walls, I want to provide
these memories for my daughter and all other families who find the joy of
teaching their children through art.
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