As an appreciator of many different kinds of art and their respective media, one might be surprised to find that I suck at it. For example, my sister gave me one of her canvases to paint when I was feeling especially creative one night, and all I could do was paint the entire thing hot pink. No little people or flowers, just a color.
I love music (it's kind of my life) but I can't play an instrument or write song lyrics. I love portraits but I can't even draw eyebrows. I love sketches but I can't sketch. It's a truly sad and deprived existence. But because I can do none of the above, I feel that I appreciate it more. I'm more sensitive to subtle tones or notes or hidden meanings in lyrics and poetry.
The one person that I'm completely jealous of, besides Jenny Lewis and every member of WHY?, is my younger sister. She can play guitar, write compelling lyrics and paint beautiful images on canvas, paper and, my favorite, Polaroids.
My sister got a Polaroid camera for Christmas and has put the device to the most innovative use I've ever seen. Now, I know people write on Polaroid pictures all the time, it's nothing new to deface the instant film. But my sister goes crazy. She draws completely new images over the ones already captured in time. She adds people, adds a shirt, a cat, penguin, what have you. And she does it all with a Sharpie. It's incredible to see a photo transform in that way.
She has expanded the technique to the rejects of my parents' photo collections. One of my personal favorites is an image of my mom's friend back in the '60s, looking in a mirror above a dresser covered with all kinds of trinkets and perfumes. My sister added intricate wings to the woman and proceeded to draw their flawless reflections onto the mirror.
My other favorite is a picture of my sister as a baby sitting on the carpet looking up at the camera. She drew a variety of shoes surrounding her, as though she was on a ground surrounded by high foot traffic.
Here's a portrait of Obama that she did on top of a Polaroid picture of a USA sign. It's kind of impressive.
