Bennett Sewell Art

When Freela was born into the Swinger family her beautiful mother said to her busy father, “We’re going to name her Freela.” and he replied, “I’ll do the best I know how.”   And so it was not a great surprise to everyone in the neighborhood that Freela came home one day with a tattoo on her shoulders that said, “Mom and Dad I love you.”

 

Freela’s why phase came early; no subject immune, but more likely than not the questions asked were: what about me, what about everyone else, in addition to, why are the stars there, and why does a red light turn green.  More often than not her parents would say, “What do you think?”  She wanted so much to be told.

 

Then one day Freela came home with a tattoo on her back that said, “Swing high and wide.”  She had begun to paint; a flower, a sunset, and that which she felt and saw around her, the mystery of her life, about sadness and suffering.

 

When Harry was born into the Sampler family, his parents bound up with each other and themselves gave little consequence to the event.

 

When Harry went into his why phase, more likely than not the best he got was silence, the worst, “don’t bother me”, and so he did not.  Even his silence was not heard.  He tried so hard to do things to please them, to live up to their unspoken expectations, just to be noticed. 

 

Harry had talent; he could paint, big and broad.  He had compassion, he could feel that pain of others who were unappreciated and unheard by the powers that be.  He was unafraid to speak out to challenge, to advocate change.  He became a professor at home and a hero around the world.

 

Freela chose her time and place well.  When she came up in the line for autographs from Professor Harry Sampler at his show, she cocked her head to one side and said, “Professor, I so much adore your work, your commitment to your fellow man and women and your ability to express it in such a dramatic way.  I’m a painter also and I would love to be your student.  Can we get together so that I can show you my work?”  Professor Harry Sampler, who had had many students before, looked up strong at her, took a sip of his Chateau Bonaparte 2005 and said, “Could you wait until I sign this copy?”  That’s how it all began.

 

Hattie Mae:

 

You’re probably wondering where this relationship between a swinger and a sampler will end up.  Who knows?  Could it be simply affirmation?  Maybe it depends on if they can figure out what questions to ask and accept from whom, rather than what they brought to the many previous parties.