Flashback Friday: 4 Lessons for Writers from The Rise and Fall of F. Scott Fitzgerald

His first achievement.

This past week I listened again to Professor Elliot Engel's lecture called The Rise and Fall of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Actually, I enjoyed it so much I listened to it twice in a row, even though I'd also heard it and wrote about it in 2008. It is insightful as regards the life of a major American writer, but it is also instructive for those who feel impelled to write today.

There were many takeaway's for me personally during this more recent listen. Here are a few of them.

1. Highest paid short story writer
I knew he was the highest paid short story writer of his era, but I didn't know why. Two factors came into play that caused this to happen. First, he wrote about the Roaring 20's in such a way that teenage girls read the stories to learn how to dress and act and all the rest. Second, two major publishers of short fiction got into a bidding war for his manuscripts. He went from being a no-name writer of little worth to a $4,000 a week writer whose name on the cover guaranteed sales. Lesson: The odds of this latter event ever occurring again are slim. The odds of this happening to most of us who write stories are nil. You're more likely to get struck by an asteroid.

Great book but weak sales.

2. Despite its fame today, Gatsby sales were a flop
Fitzgerald and his eccentric wife Zelda loved the high life. The problem was that once the cash-spigot got turned off, they never learned how to save or live frugal. And as famous as he had become, for some reason the book didn't sell well. Professor Engel stated that The Great Gatsby is the most popular novel today among high school students, but in its time sales were a flop, in part due to critical reviews. Lesson: If you are a writer hoping to sell lots of books, keep your expectations realistic.

3. Timing is everything
Fitzgerald wrote about the Jazz Age. He even coined the word jazzy which did not exist before. Unfortunately, when his follow up to Gatsby was published America was in the throes of a great depression. Tender Is the Night was another big fail. Lesson: To quote the Beach Boys, "Catch a wave and you're sittin' on top of the world." Fitzgerald's wave had passed. The sun had set on the jazz age and he was left floating in the middle of an empty copper sea.

4. What you say can hurt you
Even though his latest didn't sell and Fitzgerald was struggling to make ends meet, he still managed to get a little cashflow by selling stories. This all came to an abrupt end when he agreed to a three-part series that was published in Esquire called "The Crack-Up". He never published another story again. He was too hot to handle. Lesson: We live in an era where authenticity is valued highly, but complete candor isn't as welcome as the pundits would have you believe. It's wise to be circumspect. 

Here's the opening paragraph of Fitzgerald's The Crack-Up.

Of course all life is a process of breaking down, but the blows that do the dramatic side of the work -- the big sudden blows that come, or seem to come, from outside -- the ones you remember and blame things on and, in moments of weakness, tell your friends about, don't show their effect all at once. There is another sort of blow that comes from within -- that you don't feel until it's too late to do anything about it, until you realize with finality that in some regard you will never be as good a man again. The first sort of breakage seems to happen quick -- the second kind happens almost without your knowing it but is realized suddenly indeed.

You can read the rest here.

Download the entire lecture here.

Trivia: When Fitzgerald died his total net worth was $700.

Question: What was your favorite book that you read in high school English class? 

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Originally published in August 2014

Climate Change Crises? What's Really Going On"

1970 – Kenneth Field “The world is cooling and global temperatures could drop by up to 11ºC  that would freeze the North Atlantic for 4- months of the year within 20-years …”

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Photo: Gary Firstenberg

Someone shared with me The Australian Climate Sceptics Blog with me this past weekend. It was an eye-opening reminder of how topsy-turvy things are. In 1970 the climate watchers were not fearful of warming, but of freezing. Only later did the big buzzword change to Global Warming.  Since then it has switched to Climate Change. And when you roll your eyes and question things, you are evil for not "trusting the science." 

It's one thing when people speculate about what the future will be like. It's quite another when speculation is asserted as fact to such an extent that no one is even permitted to question it.

For example, ever since I was in college I heard them say, "We will be out of oil in 10 years." That is five decades and misinformed people still say it. 

The population problem was similarly written about. Starvation was imminent because the population growth was unsustainable. The truth is that technology and financial incentives for developing more efficient ways to produce food have all contributed to producing enough food to feed an expanding population. Plus, as peoples become educated, they produce fewer babies. Global growth has already begun to slow.

There was also a New Ice Age scare that got more ink than anyone remembers because later they changed their tune to Global Warming, which now has evolved to Climate Change, which is convenient because then no matter what happens we can be assured that they predicted it.

Check out these headlines from the early 70s. This is not a comprehensive list. You can find it at the Climate Change Dispatch.  Newsweek, Time, Washington Post... they were all beating the drum. One is titled, Are We Doomed? 

 

News articles:

1970 – Colder Winters Held Dawn of New Ice Age – Scientists See Ice Age In the Future (The Washington Post, January 11, 1970)
1970 – Is Mankind Manufacturing a New Ice Age for Itself? (L.A. Times, January 15, 1970)
1970 – New Ice Age May Descend On Man (Sumter Daily Item, January 26, 1970)
1970 – Pollution Prospect A Chilling One (Owosso Argus-Press, January 26, 1970)
1970 – Pollution’s 2-way ‘Freeze’ On Society (Middlesboro Daily News, January 28, 1970)
1970 – Cold Facts About Pollution (The Southeast Missourian, January 29, 1970)
1970 – Pollution Could Cause Ice Age, Agency Reports (St. Petersburg Times, March 4, 1970)
1970 – Pollution Called Ice Age Threat (St. Petersburg Times, June 26, 1970)
1970 – Dirt Will .Bring New Ice Age (The Sydney Morning Herald, October 19, 1970)
1971 – Ice Age Refugee Dies Underground (The Montreal Gazette, February 17, 1971)
1971 – U.S. Scientist Sees New Ice Age Coming (The Washington Post, July 9, 1971)
1971 – Ice Age Around the Corner (Chicago Tribune, July 10, 1971)
1971 – New Ice Age Coming – It’s Already Getting Colder (L.A. Times, October 24, 1971)
1971 – Another Ice Age? Pollution Blocking Sunlight (The Day, November 1, 1971)
1971 – Air Pollution Could Bring An Ice Age (Harlan Daily Enterprise, November 4, 1971)
1972 – Air pollution may cause ice age (Free-Lance Star, February 3, 1972)
1972 – Scientist Says New ice Age Coming (The Ledger, February 13, 1972)
1972 – Scientist predicts new ice age (Free-Lance Star, September 11, 1972)
1972 – British expert on Climate Change says Says New Ice Age Creeping Over Northern Hemisphere (Lewiston Evening Journal, September 11, 1972)
1972 – Climate Seen Cooling For Return Of Ice Age (Portsmouth Times, ‎September 11, 1972‎)
1972 – New Ice Age Slipping Over North (Press-Courier, September 11, 1972)
1972 – Ice Age Begins A New Assault In North (The Age, September 12, 1972)
1972 – Weather To Get Colder (Montreal Gazette, ‎September 12, 1972‎)
1972 – British climate expert predicts new Ice Age (The Christian Science Monitor, September 23, 1972)
1972 – Scientist Sees Chilling Signs of New Ice Age (L.A. Times, September 24, 1972)
1972 – Science: Another Ice Age? (Time Magazine, November 13, 1972)
1973 – The Ice Age Cometh (The Saturday Review, March 24, 1973)
1973 – Weather-watchers think another ice age may be on the way (The Christian Science Monitor, December 11, 1973)
1974 – New evidence indicates ice age here (Eugene Register-Guard, May 29, 1974)
1974 – Another Ice Age? (Time Magazine, June 24, 1974)
1974 – 2 Scientists Think ‘Little’ Ice Age Near (The Hartford Courant, August 11, 1974)
1974 – Ice Age, worse food crisis seen (The Chicago Tribune, October 30, 1974)
1974 – Believes Pollution Could Bring On Ice Age (Ludington Daily News, December 4, 1974)
1974 – Pollution Could Spur Ice Age, Nasa Says (Beaver Country Times, ‎December 4, 1974‎)
1974 – Air Pollution May Trigger Ice Age, Scientists Feel (The Telegraph, ‎December 5, 1974‎)
1974 – More Air Pollution Could Trigger Ice Age Disaster (Daily Sentinel – ‎December 5, 1974‎)
1974 – Scientists Fear Smog Could Cause Ice Age (Milwaukee Journal, December 5, 1974)
1975 – Climate Changes Called Ominous (The New York Times, January 19, 1975)
1975 – Climate Change: Chilling Possibilities (Science News, March 1, 1975)
1975 – B-r-r-r-r: New Ice Age on way soon? (The Chicago Tribune, March 2, 1975)
1975 – Cooling Trends Arouse Fear That New Ice Age Coming (Eugene Register-Guard, ‎March 2, 1975‎)
1975 – Is Another Ice Age Due? Arctic Ice Expands In Last Decade (Youngstown Vindicator – ‎March 2, 1975‎)
1975 – Is Earth Headed For Another Ice Age? (Reading Eagle, March 2, 1975)
1975 – New Ice Age Dawning? Significant Shift In Climate Seen (Times Daily, ‎March 2, 1975‎)
1975 – There’s Troublesome Weather Ahead (Tri City Herald, ‎March 2, 1975‎)
1975 – Is Earth Doomed To Live Through Another Ice Age? (The Robesonian, ‎March 3, 1975‎)
1975 – The Ice Age cometh: the system that controls our climate (The Chicago Tribune, April 13, 1975)
1975 – The Cooling World (Newsweek, April 28, 1975)
1975 – Scientists Ask Why World Climate Is Changing; Major Cooling May Be Ahead (PDF) (The New York Times, May 21, 1975)
1975 – In the Grip of a New Ice Age? (International Wildlife, July-August, 1975)
1975 – Oil Spill Could Cause New Ice Age (Milwaukee Journal, December 11, 1975)
1976 – The Cooling: Has the Next Ice Age Already Begun? [Book] (Lowell Ponte, 1976)
1977 – Blizzard – What Happens if it Doesn’t Stop? [Book] (George Stone, 1977)
1977 – The Weather Conspiracy: The Coming of the New Ice Age [Book] (The Impact Team, 1977)
1976 – Worrisome CIA Report; Even U.S. Farms May be Hit by Cooling Trend (U.S. News & World Report, May 31, 1976)
1977 – The Big Freeze (Time Magazine, January 31, 1977)
1977 – We Will Freeze in the Dark (Capital Cities Communications Documentary, Host: Nancy Dickerson, April 12, 1977)
1978 – The New Ice Age [Book] (Henry Gilfond, 1978)
1978 – Little Ice Age: Severe winters and cool summers ahead (Calgary Herald, January 10, 1978)
1978 – Winters Will Get Colder, ‘we’re Entering Little Ice Age’ (Ellensburg Daily Record, January 10, 1978)
1978 – Geologist Says Winters Getting Colder (Middlesboro Daily News, January 16, 1978)
1978 – It’s Going To Get Colder (Boca Raton News, ‎January 17, 1978‎)
1978 – Believe new ice age is coming (The Bryan Times, March 31, 1978)
1978 – The Coming Ice Age (In Search Of TV Show, Season 2, Episode 23, Host: Leonard Nimoy, May 1978)
1978 – An Ice Age Is Coming Weather Expert Fears (Milwaukee Sentinel, November 17, 1978)
1979 – A Choice of Catastrophes – The Disasters That Threaten Our World [Book] (Isaac Asimov, 1979)
1979 – Get Ready to Freeze (Spokane Daily Chronicle, October 12, 1979)
1979 – New ice age almost upon us? (The Christian Science Monitor, November 14, 1979)

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The proof that Climate Change is less crisis--and more religion than science--is demonstrated in the stance its proponents themselves take toward their theories (convictions). You are expected to believe, not question. Kneel and kiss the ring.

By way of contrast, Bertrand Russell, in his Free Thought and Official Propaganda, states that real scientists are always ready to consider newer evidence regarding past theories. This is why scientists were open to Einstein's theory of relativity. In his lecture, published afterwards, he stated:

Every man of science whose outlook is truly scientific is ready to admit that what passes for scientific knowledge at the moment is sure to require correction with the progress of discovery; nevertheless, it is near enough to the truth to serve for most practical purposes, though not for all. In science, where alone something approximating to genuine knowledge is to be found, men’s attitude is tentative and full of doubt.

In religion and politics, on the contrary, though there is as yet nothing approaching scientific knowledge, everybody considers it de rigueur to have a dogmatic opinion, to be backed up by inflicting starvation, prison, and war, and to be carefully guarded from argumentative competition with any different opinion.

No doubt many of today's problems are the result of their having been co-opted by politicians. The Dems loved the Old New Deal so much that it seemed a wonderful add-on to strengthen it with the word Green and capture votes from all those young people raised to believe it's the end of the world if we don't hurry up and do something.

Never mind that we've been doing much since the 70s to address pollution and emissions.

In the right hand margin there are three quotes at The Australian Climate Sceptics Blog.

1. All Scientists are Sceptics
~Professor Bob Carter

2. Whenever someone asserts that a scientific question is “settled,” they tell me immediately that they don’t understand the first thing about science. Science is never settled.
~Dr David Deming

3. Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of the science of climate change is the lack of any real substance in attempts to justify the hypothesis.
~Professor Stewart Franks

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Related Links

Michael Shellenberger: Fighting the Good Fight

Global Warming Is Not the End of the World Says Longtime Voice of the Green Movement

100 Years of Climate Scares -- 1970s Ice age scare

The Self-Destruction of an Energy Superpower: Texas

Cate Blanchett As Elizabeth Gives Us Much to Think About and Appreciate

This is not really a review of Elizabeth: The Golden Age, but more or less a few observations and an excuse to share a few photos of the costumes Cate Blanchett wore in this film. Purportedly it is a historical biography, but according to the critics, it's more historical fiction. Though it failed to obtain the viewer acclaim of its predecessor (Elizabeth, also starring Cate Blanchett) it does have some elements of note.

When Cate Blanchett's star began to rise in the East, it seemed the heir to Queen Meryl's throne had appeared. Streep has unquestionably been one of the standouts of her generation of actresses. He range seems to know no bounds. Similarly, Cate Blanchett has tackled a similar variety of challenges and seems to excel at them all. (Bonus points for having been Bob Dylan.)

The significance of the film may be that it zeroes in on two of history's major turning points, the destruction of Spain's dominance of the high seas and the birth of what would become a 300 year global empire, and the establishment of Protestantism and the ouster of Catholicism. 

I can't say the film moved me to my innards, but will note that the cinematography was stunning at times and Cate Blanchett's costumes were fit for a queen.

The film did raise questions for me. Did queens also have to dress so extravagantly? Do they ever get to wear "comfortable clothes"?  How many hours a day did Ms. Blanchett have to spend getting ready for each day's shooting?

These were the days when it was still believed the kings and queens were divine, which was at odds with what the Reformers were saying. Elizabeth herself questions the notion.

The conflict between Catholics and Protestants had begun to rage in many parts of Europe. The Huguenot Wars were taking place in France, and the Inquisition had been continuing in Spain. Against this backdrop, many of Elizabeth's advisors wanted her to take action against the Catholics in England. Elizabeth, in her wisdom, sees no advantage in creating more conflict by "forcing" the people to be "politically correct", Anglican and not Catholic. (Sadly this did become the law of the land.)  Elizabeth is adamant and takes a stand for freedom of thought and belief. She is opposed to any kind of inquisition-like response to weed out Catholics. "Fear creates fear. I am not ignorant of the dangers, sir. But I will not punish my people for their beliefs. Only for their deeds. I am assured that the people of England love their Queen. My constant endeavor is to earn that love."  (Great lines. If only all leaders would do likewise.)

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Related Link

The Spanish Inquisition Had a Chilling Effect on Freedom of Speech 

South African Artist Peter Pharoah Began His Career in Advertising

In the early years of the Internet I found myself exploring what artists were doing in other parts of the world. In the first years of this decade I was invited to be part of a Ning community that shared their art online, with artists from countries all over the world. When I started blogging in 2007 I continued this practice of sharing other artists' work from elsewhere until Bob Boone of The Reader asked if I'd focus on our local arts community. As it turns out, this. was exceedingly rewarding. 

A few years ago I had a chance to do a few stories on a young artist from Uganda who was here in the States for a season. Steveboyyi had an amazing story, having grown up in an orphanage, eventually having to. survive on the streets once that facility closed when he was 17. Art was his escape and he is an exceptionally talented young man. 

While exploring websites of other artists in Africa I came across Peter Pharoah's work. What impressed me most was how his faces brought to mind paintings by Moira Villiard, a local artist who befriended Steveboyyi and helped assemble a show to sell his work at the American Indian Community Housing Organization (AICHO) while he was here. (You can find that story here.)

Peter Pharoah's path was very different, but not entirely absent of challenges. Interestingly, both artists--Steveboyyi and Mr. Pharoah--have been attracted to similar sources for inspiration.

EN: How did you come to take an interest in art as a career and what has been your path from that moment till now?

Masai Memories

Peter Pharoah: I grew up in a family of pilots and pioneering aviators, so flying was in my blood and I dreamed of a career in the aviation industry, but as I wore glasses my parents felt that this wasn’t an option for me particularly since, at that time, there were restrictions around hiring pilots who did not have 20/20 vision without glasses. 

My mother had studied fine art but never pursued it as a career and believed that because I’d shown a natural talent for art from early on, that it would be a good start to focus on forging my path in the advertising arena. In those days chasing the dream of an illustrious fine art career was not considered a viable option, the term ‘struggling artist’ epitomised the general consensus for your chances of success by most at that time.  So once I completed school and compulsory 2 years of military service, I studied graphic design in Johannesburg then went on to work at Young & Rubicam in the ad industry as an art director.

While working at the agency, I met many commercial artists and illustrators and realised that what they did inspired me and I felt that this career path suited me far better. I enjoyed the flexibility of the working hours rather than 9-5 in the same office day in and day out. I also enjoyed the diversity of projects that came my way and another plus was that I could choose the projects I wanted to work on. 

I became fluent in many mediums from acrylics to gouache, watercolour, magic markers, pencil and airbrush and produced artworks for a wide range of subjects from cartoons to exploded views of mechanical systems, realistic representations of people and everyday objects as well as posters for movies and television shows.  I designed logos and painted murals in restaurants and bars and came up with wraparound artworks for vehicles.

It was an exciting and rewarding time for me and I have happy memories of those early days that taught me so much while still giving me the time to pursue other interests such as hang gliding (I never did lose the flying bug) and escaping to the mountains and incredible African bushveld. 

My career was in advertising. How long were you with Young & Rubicam? What did you learn from being inside the advertising scene? 

I spent the first 3 years of my career at Young & Rubicam honing my skills and learning valuable lessons that helped me on my journey as a freelance commercial artist and illustrator and then even later as a fine artist. 

Some of the most important lessons I learned whilst at Y&R was how incredibly important discipline and the willingness to embrace working hard are… especially if you choose to pursue a freelance career. Another huge life lesson was learning to understand and implement the brief, otherwise you just have to go back and do it again. In the days before computer graphics this meant starting over so making sure that you know exactly what the client wants was a golden rule, especially if you want to get paid at the end of the job. 

Going the extra mile and being willing to do whatever it takes to help them realise that vision, sometimes working through the night to meet crazy deadlines was a lesson embedded into my work ethic from early on… although you definitely won’t catch me doing that now! 

EN: You clearly love working with color. Have you always painted with such brilliance?

Sundowners (Fundraiser for Rhino Conservation)

Peter Pharoah: Once again, my love of colour can be traced back to Y&R where one particular art director insisted that everything I produced was infused with a warm, yellow glow. Probably that was where the penny initially dropped and stuck to me ever since. 

When I first started out as a fine artist, I produced a series of paintings inspired by the warm yellows and orange hues that form so much a part of the African landscape, this series of paintings was hugely successful and I received many requests for commissioned pieces in those colours until eventually it no longer felt fresh and exciting for me and I yearned to break out of that genre but was nervous to try something new when this style was popular and a ‘sure thing’. 

By this stage of my career, I had my own gallery and the internet was playing a big role with orders coming from around the world so I didn’t want to jeopardise my earning potential on something new and completely different. 

Soon after I started feeling this way, my gallery was destroyed in a fire, all the paintings, prints and artworks that were there were destroyed and even the building had to be demolished. 

Excerpt from a press article: 

22 June 2010
Excitement was at fever pitch - our home team, 'Bafana Bafana' was playing France in a nail biting game during the World Cup Soccer hosted by South Africa.

The country came to a grinding halt as we cheered our national team... Little did we know how, on a personal level, this moment in our country's history was going to change our lives in ways we could not possibly imagine...

We lost everything that night but we learned a valuable lesson, that we CAN and would endure...

That evening we were alerted by local residents that smoke was seen coming from our Gallery. Peter rushed to the gallery but it was already too late - the historic thatch building was engulfed in flames and nothing could be saved.

"My new direction was perhaps inspired by the fire that tragically destroyed our gallery. Initially it was very difficult to come to terms with the loss of all the artworks, our print collection and computer back-ups. But ultimately it resulted in a rebirth, a renewal of spirit," said Peter.

"I was more courageous in my approach and set to work with a sense of freedom and abandon that was both liberating and invigorating. I now see my career as an artist in a new light, embracing colour even more than before – using it to draw attention to the patterns and textures that are a hallmark of my style. Emphasising the manner in which these interact within the artwork and with the subject - revitalising my approach to enhance and reawaken the spirit that drives the creative force within..." he added.

"So this collection of works will forever have their place in the timeline of my career, a point of rediscovery, a rebirth and a new direction..."

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Nisha

It was at this point that I realised that evolving as an artist is imperative, otherwise you just end up ‘copying’ yourself – reproducing a formula and you lose the passion and richness that comes with experimentation. 

Colour alone is not enough. You have to use it as a vehicle to tell the story, to enhance the image, to provide contrast or to complement what is there. There has to be balance…

Excerpt from a 2020 update on the 10^th anniversary of the fire:

- 22 June 2020

No one could have predicted that 10 years later, the entire world would just STOP due to Covid-19 and the lessons learned a decade earlier would help sustain us through the dark and uncertain days that lay ahead.

Since then, we have survived another fire that threatened our home and destroyed all our neighbours' homes but we also experienced new places and embarked on adventures, encountering people and moments that have been stored to be brought to life later in the studio.

Perhaps our 'post-Covid' life will inspire another new direction. Being older and hopefully wiser, I have come to accept that with adversity we are not given the choice to ignore the opportunity to grow in a new direction.

"Being courageous in my approach and going into my studio each day gives me a renewed sense of purpose that is both liberating and invigorating. I am honoured to share my passion for Africa, its wildlife, people and even the magical colours and subtle nuances of the sunset, the textures in the rocks and trees.

Each memory encourages me to embrace originality in my subject, my brushstrokes, composition and colour choices... a reawakening of the spirit that drives the creative force within..."

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EN: My art blog is titled The Many Faces of Ennyman. I find faces endlessly fascinating and have been drawing them since pre-school. When did your fascination with faces begin and why do you enjoy painting them today?

Thamani (A young Masai girl in traditional dress)

Peter Pharoah: For as long as I can remember, I have been intrigued by faces and loved to draw and paint them as I explored different mediums. I think it initially began as a challenge to paint a face that was recognisable as a particular individual. During my time studying graphic design, one of our assignments was to paint a realistic portrait from a photograph, which taught me to really look for the subtle nuances that make each person unique as well as how the light plays on the face drawing out certain features and concealing others. 

I think the fire allowed me to become more carefree in my approach to my work; I became less concerned about controlling everything. The fire made me realise that anything can happen and if you are to survive, your only choice is to pick up the pieces and move forward. Wallowing in misery will not change what happened and by accepting this and focussing on the path ahead brings closure and a sense of liberation. Key to that transformation process was casting aside the safety of the ‘known’ and venture into the unknown with a boldness that encouraged a more experimental approach and a willingness to go places that I would not have gone before…

Nowadays, I love painting portraits in rich vibrant colours that help to define the character and essence of the person, humans are programmed to recognise the features of a face so you’re able to play with abstraction more than with any other subject and hint at the features that don’t need to be defined in order to be recognisable as a human face. 

EN: The natural beauty of the African wilderness also appears in much of your work.
Do people there take it for granted after a while or is it something that always produces awe?

The Fifth Element (115 x 115 cm)

Peter Pharoah: My passion for Africa will always compel me to experiment with new methods to convey the intensity of the African experience. Africa speaks to me on a deeper level and I travel to many remote corners in search of inspiration and the earthy ‘oneness’ I feel for the land. 

The artworks that result are more a memory of that experience than just a representation of a specific photograph or scene. Immersing yourself in the African experience is life changing – walking amongst the rhino, lion and elephant or wild dogs. Watching them, smelling them and experiencing their lives up close is awe inspiring and I have found that, as an artist, it is vital to constantly challenge oneself in life and in art – introducing elements in the form of texture, colour or subject that I have never done before… this keeps my works fresh and my approach new each time… 

Simply put… I love what I do and am honoured to share my African visions with the world.

EN: Where can people purchase your work? 

Peter Pharoah: I have a gallery in Wilderness, where I live on the southern cape coast of South Africa as well as at Kunjani, a wine farm in Stellenbosch.

EN: Do you sell through Jumia? 

Peter Pharoah: Not at the moment, it is difficult to manage stock of the originals as there is quite a demand for my work so I find it simpler to just work through our gallery in Wilderness or online through my website at www.peterpharoah.com 

EN: Do you have transcontinental outlets?

Peter Pharoah: There are galleries and agents in the UK and USA that occasionally have my artworks in their collection but most people visit my website and buy direct from our online offerings or alternatively commission pieces for their collection. 

The website is called An African Canvas, the fine art of Peter Pharoah.

To learn more visit: https://www.peterpharoah.com/

FOR MORE INFORMATION 

Contact Tracey @ Paroah Art Gallery

Phone numbers are on the website.

Or to contact by email: pharoah.art@gmail.com 

My Elementary School Years: Teachers and Other Memories from My Stafford School Days

Today is Presidents Day, a holiday that was actually created in 1968 on the third Monday of each February. When I was in elementary school it seems we celebrated both Abraham Lincoln's birthday (February 12) and George Washington's birthday (February 22*). At this time I don't recall either being a national holiday, but some feel the name Presidents Day diminishes George Washington's role as founder of our country and the day should be returned to its rightful owner.

Having just finished the book Coach by Michael Lewis, it got me thinking about my own early influences. This will be a summary of my elementary school teachers. Do you remember all your teachers? What impact did they have on your life?

Kindergarten: Mrs. Strickland
I was about two or so when our family moved into a new development in Maple Heights, a suburb on the East side of Cleveland. I can't imagine a more ideal place to spend my early years. Stafford Elementary School was a half block away. There was a wonderful park with a public swimming pool two blocks to the south adjacent to the football stadium where the high school team played. Beyond the school was a forest and beyond that the new Southgate Shopping Center. 

Mrs. Strickland, my kindergarten teacher was one of two teachers who taught kindergarten. For some reason, the rumor was that Mrs. Novak was not the teacher you wanted, that Mrs. Strickland was much nicer. I believe my brother got Mrs. Novak two years later, which will be confirmed when he reads this.

The classroom seemed spacious, half of which was fairly open. There was a large carpet which, if I remember correctly, was unrolled each morning at the start of class and rolled back up after. On the other side of the room were some tables where we did crafts or learned how to write to 100.

Mrs. Strickland herself seemed tall and gangly. She was much older than most of the teachers I had at Stafford. I remember her demeanor as caring, not overbearing. 

My most memorable experience from that year was when a sixth grade student was brought in to our class to spend part of the day with us. Evidently he was being punished for misbehaving. This was a humiliation for him, obviously. What I recall is that we were working on writing to 100 and had been given graph paper and instructed to fill in the squares from 1 to 100. He was a very big kid and seated at my table and had to do the same assignment. He was very quiet and cooperative, though it must have been a humiliation. I remember almost nothing else from that year except that Mrs. Strickland seemed very nice. 

1st Grade: Miss Blackjack

I must have really liked Miss Blackjack. I have a vivid picture of her in my mind, wearing a black dress and a smile. She was quite plump, as in chubby, and I sat in the front row with my desk butted up against hers. Somehow I have it in my mind that she told my mom that I used to swing my legs and kick her in the shins when she was sitting at her desk. 

First grade was great because we got to go to the library and take out books. This was a very big deal for me. There was one book that I especially liked which was about a family or bears, I believe. I took that book out so many times that I was taken aside and asked to think about how many other books there are besides that one. For some reason, as long as I kept enjoying it, I wanted to keep re-reading it. 

Beyond that, I actually have no other memories, just the feeling of that being a good year and that Miss Blackjack was warm-hearted and nice..

2nd Grade: Miss Enden

This was my first grade picture.

I really liked Miss Enden, too. She was young and pretty, and seemed to enjoy teaching. If I recall correctly, Miss Enden got married during Easter Vacation and her name changed to Mrs. White. (This may have happened to Miss Morse, my fourth grade teacher as details are fuzzy. One of them had their name changed at Easter, and the other got married at the end of the school year.)

From second grade several memories stand out. The first was how we had three levels of reading--bluebird, redbird and something else. I was supposed to be in the advanced reading group, but when I saw what the middle group was reading, I requested to be changed to the lesser reading group. I believe that my parents were even consulted about this, though I can't be sure. 

A second memory is how we used to have regular Spelling Bees. I was surprised that when it narrowed down to few kids up front, they were all girls except me, or me and Kevin Flanagan. (Kevin, as it turns out, would later be class president his senior year in high school.) I would be in New Jersey by that time. It wasn't till I got to college and had a good friend who was an awful speller, but had been a valedictorian in high school, that I stopped judging peoples' intelligence by how accurate their spelling was.

A very painful memory from that year was this one. We used to do quizzes and then grade them ourselves. It was done in this fashion. When we finished the quiz, she would have us put our pencils away and pull out a red crayon to correct with. That is, we'd put an "x" by the wrong answers. Afterwards she would take our papers and record our grades in the grade book.

On one occasion I noticed that I had forgotten to write my name on the top as instructed. I snuck my pencil out to write my name, and she evidently thought I was correcting a wrong answer. Clearly I had violated the instructions since it was red crayon time. She said, "Eddie, tear up your paper and put it in the trash can." I was so humiliated. The worst, however, was yet to come. 

Miss Enden would have us put out heads down for a "rest period" while she recorded our scores in the book. Her desk was across the room and it looked like she was focused on writing in the book, so I stuck my tongue out at her. (I have no ideas where we learn these things.) Well, she saw, and said, "Eddie, please come over to my desk." Everyone's heads were down so I don't think anyone knew what this was about except me. I was one inch tall, and she said I would have to stay after school every day for a week. 

Clearly my humiliation must have shown. And for a week I stayed after school with Miss Enden, emptying the trash, tidying up things, taking the erasers down to the boiler room to be "cleaned" (which meant banging them together like cymbals until the accumulated chalk was knocked out.) She made it as fun as could be, actually. I'd already been punished. I've never stuck my tongue out at anyone again.

The highlight of that year came in the spring. My grandparents were planning a trip across the country by train to visit my aunt and uncle and my cousins outside Reno. They hoped to bring me along, and Miss Enden approved. I was an A student (with the exception of my handwriting) and the trip was a memorable and formative experience of my childhood.

3rd Grade: Mrs. Deuker

Despite her severe sounding name (Doiker) she was a fine teacher with a special challenge. For whatever reason, we had a mixed class of second graders and third graders that year. She was not particularly pretty--somewhat gangly, with horn-rimmed glasses--but she handled the situation well. The third graders would work on assignments while she worked with the second graders on their material. 

Some things we all did together, like Show and Tell. I never realized then, till my experience in Toastmasters, that Show and Tell was an opportunity to develop impromptu public speaking skills.

On one occasion, one of the second graders--Ronald Jerome--brought. robin's next to class for Show and Tell. His seat was in front of mine, and before doing his talk he went to the bathroom. When Ronald came back, he forgot that he'd placed the nest on his chair, so he scooted in to his desk and sat on it, breaking the little robin's eggs he planned to share. 

My most vivid memory of Mrs. Deuker came at the end of the school year. She asked for volunteers to help clean the classroom. Kids who took the school buses had to catch their buses. I didn't so I stayed and helped clean up the last two days of school. We had an aquarium in the classroom that year with guppies, and she said I could have the guppies because I had been a good helper. My parents bought an aquarium and the ozygenator, and I had my first experience with tropical fish.  (Thank you, Mrs. Deuker)

4th Grade: Miss Morse

Topps Civil War card. The dramatic artwork made an impression. 

Miss Morse had black hair and a kind, warm face. I recall very little about her other than that I believe I had a crush on her a little bit. Fourth grade is the year I began to have a sense of history. We had a large American Heritage book about the Civil War in the back of the classroom by the windows. When we weren't busy doing other things I  would go back and study the maps, photos and illustrations. I'm thinking that around this time Topps came out with its Civil War card set. 

Fourth grade was also the first year I began to notice myself taking an interest in girls. There were two girls I liked, though they were very different from each other. The one was the most popular girl in the class, outgoing and a little flirty, and the other was quiet, wore glasses and seemed shy. The popular girl was Patty and it seems like the boys flocked around her for some reason. The other was Nancy Kyle. Something about her turned my own heart mushy. 

On one occasion there was a class outing at the ice staking rink. The announcer proclaimed the next skate to be pairs with boys and girls. I immediately ran (the best you can with ice skates) and hid in the locker room. A couple classmates evidently knew of my crush--and maybe it was mutual?--and tried to bring me back outside, but I was in the corner on the floor kicking my skates so they would be injured if they tried to grab me. 

Before the next school year Nancy and her family moved to Wisconsin and I never saw her again.

5th Grade: Mrs. Murphy
My recollection of Mrs Murphy is a middle-aged woman, medium height, neither skinny nor heavy. I have few memories of that year other than this singular one.

I had a metal-bodied pen and I used to put it in my mouth and chew on it. I distinctly recall teeth marks on the barrel. One day, Mrs Murphy told me to stop putting my pen in my mouth. I'm not sure why I did this, and I do not recall anyone else being singled out for that. Well, the next day I was doing it again, so she told me I had to write a 500 word paper on why I liked putting my pen in my mouth. 

I put a lot of thought into it and really enjoyed explaining how the metal had an interesting flavor, etc. Instead of this being a punishment, it was almost like a reward. Very possibly the beginning of my writing career.

6th Grade: ? ? ? 
I can't even remember my 6th grade teacher at all. I don't have a name. Was it a he or she? It's fuzzy but we may have had a couple teachers, the home room teacher and then a science teacher. 

In November JFK was assassinated. That Friday afternoon there was an announcement over the school loudspeaker that we were to all go to the auditorium for an assembly. My class was one of the last to reach the auditorium and I was one of the last in the group. The doors to the front of the school were on my left and I stood there watching one of the janitors lowering the flag to half mast. I watched him as he returned to the foyer where other janitors were standing and this old man was weeping. Minutes later I learned why. It was like a numbness came over us all.

That weekend, our family had the television on to watch Lee Harvey Oswald get taken from the jail. The cameras were rolling and the nation would get to see first hand the alleged killer of our president. Suddenly a man broke into the screen and shot Oswald, an unforgettable image from an unforgettable weekend.

At the beginning of that school year we were invited to take up instruments to play in the school band. I had won a Grotto Circus Contest a couple years earlier and had money in the bank. My parents let me buy a used trombone with some of the money and I practiced with the school orchestra. Our performance in the Christmas concert was appallingly bad, evidently, so that afterwords the bandleader chewed us out rather furiously. I walked out that night with tears streaming down my cheeks, vowing never to play the trombone again.

Four weeks later our family moved to New Jersey, the most dramatic transition of my life till I went to college. Three weeks after that, The Beatles were on the Ed Sullivan Show. 

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* Here's a surprising factoid that I just learned. The National Archives states that "George Washington was born in Virginia on February 11, 1731, according to the then-used Julian calendar. In 1752, however, Britain and all its colonies adopted the Gregorian calendar which moved Washington's birthday a year and 11 days to February 22, 1732."

I'll bet you didn't know that!

The Beautiful Language of the Psalms: The Bible as Literature

For years I used to begin each day reading a chapter from the Book of Proverbs. If it were the 4th, I would read chapter four; if the 17th, chapter 17. Proverbs has 31 days so six times a year you will read that chapter with its long epilogue about the wife of noble character. The wisdom contained in these passages never grows old, nor out of date.

This past year I have been reading a psalm each morning. As a writer I am frequently--and I mean frequently--in awe at the beautiful imagery and vivid language of this book. The words, penned 3,000 years ago, routinely describe emotions we feel and situations we're in today. Psalm 73, for example, begins as a lament at how unfair it is that the one percenters can be so happy and carefree, bedecked with jewels, never having a pang of guilt about their behavior. The writer complains, in effect, "Why did I play by the rules? What's the point in doing good when these people get rewarded for doing whatever they want."

When my brother was in school at WVU in the 70s, he took a class titled The Bible As Literature. I considered this an intriguing way to approach the Bible. Even if you are not religious, becoming familiar with one of the world's most influential books has merit. Much like studying Shakespeare, there's plenty that will surprise you, especially when you become aware of how many sayings that are still part of our lives have their origins there. 

The trigger for this blog post was my reading this morning of Psalm 104. I found the metaphors and similes quite fascinating. Here are the first lines, to illustrate.

Psalm 104

Praise the Lord, my soul.

Lord my God, you are very great;

    you are clothed with splendor and majesty.

2 

The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment;
    he stretches out the heavens like a tent

3 

    and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters.
He makes the clouds his chariot
    and rides on the wings of the wind.

4 

He makes winds his messengers,
    flames of fire his servants.

5 

He set the earth on its foundations;
    it can never be moved.

6 

You covered it with the watery depths as with a garment;
    the waters stood above the mountains.

7 

But at your rebuke the waters fled,
    at the sound of your thunder they took to flight;

8 

they flowed over the mountains,
    they went down into the valleys,
    to the place you assigned for them.

9 

You set a boundary they cannot cross;
    never again will they cover the earth.

You can read the rest here.

Throughout history people have found comfort in the Psalms during times of upheaval and distress, in times like these.

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RELATED

A Book of Grace

If your family has a standard ritual prayer that you say when giving thanks before meals, there are only so many times you can do that before it becomes a stale rote thing you do with no flavor left, like overchewed gum. Growing up we said, "God is great, God is good, and we thank Him for our food. Amen." 

On the positive side of the ledger, at least there was some kind of order to the dinner ritual. We didn't just sit down and start grabbing food. I do think a pause to express gratitude can have value. 

In 2002 local writers Margi Preus and Ann Treacy published a short collection of sayings, reflections and prayers from various cultures around the world and through history. The book is subtitled Words to Bring You Peace. 

The authors share thought-provoking expressions of gratitude from literary, historical, cultural, tribal and other sources, Celtic to Cheyenne, Confucius to Victor Hugo, from India to Zaire, Martin Luther to the Helen Keller.

The prayerful thoughts are assembled thematically from Grace and Courage to Generosity and Love. Even though only one chapter is titled Grace Before Meals, Susie and I have been reading one each evening before meals the last six months and have enjoyed it many times over. 

If you're here in the Northland, you can support our local bookstores (Zenith Bookstore is our favorite, and they will order it if it is not in stock) or you can find it here on Amazon.

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"Let us know peace.
For as long as the moon shall rise
For as long as the rivers shall flow
For as long as the sun shall shine
For as long as the grass shall grow
Let us know peace." —Cheyenne

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Photo at top of page: Gary Firstenberg