Elbow Macaroni

A box of uncooked elbow macaroni and a bottle of Elmer’s glue sat in my scrawny seven-year-old hands: this is where it all began. On a Sunday afternoon in a matter of hours, those pieces of pasta transformed into a scene beneath the rooftop of a Payless shoebox. Nothing gave me greater excitement as a child than to have the word “project” leave my teacher’s mouth. Dioramas and papier-mâché and scrapbooks and spray paint; I had the chance to pour my tiny, little heart into every craft and creation.

Construction paper and macaroni warriors turned into something more the day I walked through the doorway of Room 303. Mr. Sacco, an exuberant teacher filled with a passion for art, opened up to me a world of acrylics, oils, charcoals and pens. I was able to transform my affinity for projects into action here. Day by day, as my age and shoe size grew, so too did my love for the colors and shadows that appeared on a canvas. Galaxies swirled under my brush, speckled with constellations of watercolors. Chameleons perched upon a branch of colored pencil, concealed by the emerald leaves of the Amazon. Fantasy worlds could come to life in a single stroke

Now here we are today - a girl lost in the turbulent days of college. School and part-time jobs and homework and… a pandemic? Some days are repetitive and draining, but there are others of immense joy. And it’s not a coincidence that those days are usually the ones filled with art. When I sketch or paint, I get to travel back to the quiet, coolness of Room 303 or to the safe, serenity of my kitchen table at home. Through art, I forget the humdrum of reality.

How lucky am I to have found something so special? But really, how lucky am I to have people in my life that keep me going at it? I owe it to my mom and dad who’ve saved every one of my hodge-podged “beauties” from kindergarten and beyond. Thank you to my childhood art teachers who have shown me the way. My closest friends and the strangers on the street who support me with kind words and through my art business - they mean everything. And here’s to you. I hope you discover your own spark. Whether it be through chess matches or film photography, the stock market or knitting that scarf - I hope you too can find an escape and make it your own!