I stumbled across a local organization, Canadian Artists for the Poor, who are fundraising in an effort to aid the fight against poverty. They're doing ArtWalks this summer on Stephen Avenue (a busy place on a nice day) and making a calendar of, well, Canadian artists' work. It's a good cause.
I got involved when they put out a call for 25 artists to make the letters in their name, all on 11 x 14 canvases, letters assigned by the organization. These will be photographed and used for the cover of the calendar, and for signage for the ArtWalks, and possibly auctioned off. I shared, other artists shared, and sure enough, they got all 25. I drew the P:
FM Vettergreen, P for the Poor, 2013; oil and wax on panel, 11 x 14
I've been impressed with the other artists' efforts, though I haven't seen them all. Verna Vogel has made a beautiful stitched canvas E for energy. Kim Bruce used real international currency in hers, and cut a hole in the middle to symbolize the emptiness of an O, which is also zero.
Me, all I could think of was small boy thinking out loud from the back seat: there's P, which is a letter, and there's pee, which is a potty word, and there's pea, a thing you eat. Three P's, mommy! And so I share with you his very favourite thing: a P in the garden.