Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Summer Art Class 1968


Around 1968 or so, my parents enrolled my siblings and me in a summer drawing class that ran about 8 weeks. (I don't remember why we signed up; I do remember being upset that the class was going to cause me to miss Wacky Races.)

   The instructor was a local artist named Paul Henschke. The class would meet each week at various parks and sketch Lorain landmarks. A few classes were held indoors at St. Mary's Academy in downtown Lorain, which was interesting and mysterious for Protestants like us.
   I still have my sketches and, despite the fact that they are a kid's doodles, they provide a unique look at Lorain at that time. Lessons 1 and 2 were at Lakeview Park, with the fountain and bathhouse as subjects.
   One of the few things I remember about the class is that my brothers and I had a hard time understanding Mr. Henschke because of his accent. When he asked to borrow your eraser, it sounded like he was asking you for a razor.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I'm pretty sure the same Paul Henschke you mentioned is my Grandfather. I remember when I was a little girl my mother and him sitting at the kitchen table speaking German. It sounded so funny to me.
I have a few of his paintings. One in particular is of a deer in the woods.
Betty Gabel
email - gabbet@roadrunner.com