Working with the Artists

On Friday I rose at 7:00 a.m. (!) in order to volunteer at Passion Works from 8:00 to 10:00, as that was the only window in which I could catch the actual artists at work. Though it was rough getting up, I'm glad I did. I met many interesting people, including Cassie Blackford, nickname "Winnie the Pooh." Cassie is 23 years old and her favorite color is black, which I found intriguing. She has a nine-month-old girl named Hannah Mae.

"Whatcha gonna do (this weekend), walk all over the table?" Wade Buock, another artist, asked Cassie. Cassie lives in Chauncey and since there's "not a lot to do" there, she "walks around all the time." During my scheduled block at the organization, Cassie drew and also painted a birdhouse, pictured below:

Cassie's birdhouse is colorful and cheery.

By far the person who most piqued my interest, however, was Noah. Humble and smart, with a keen sense of humor, Noah said of his own painting, "This doesn't look like a wild animal, it looks like grape juice."

"I want to look like Zac (Efron)," Noah said, "but I bet he doesn't have a duck--un pato." Noah prides himself on wearing his hair in the style of the "High School Musical" star and sporting a charming plastic bubble container in the shape of a duck around his neck. Also evident is his love for Spanish--he'll give translations for anything, anytime--as well as Latin. Noah's nickname is Noey, "like Joey," and he also happens to be an insatiable flirt, asking women browsers if he'll get to see them again.

As Noah wiped a spot of pink from the background of his painting, he said, "No mistakes in art. Only happy accidents." Truer words. See below for a video where Noah explains the flora and fauna in his painting.