The Boston Globe had the obituary of my former painting teacher, John Grillo, who died at age 97 on the Cape. I met John when I went to Amherst for the master's program in art teaching at UMass. He taught me so much, basically through osmosis. He was always around and he was always encouraging. (He is not unlike my current mandolin teacher, Ned, who moves ahead without rapping ones fingers with a ruler.) When I survey the work I did while painting with John Grillo and some of the things that came afterwards, I can see that they are my strongest work--and I am gleefully glorifying colors we both shared. John Grillo gave me hope, something I rarely found with other teachers, especially of the art kind (exception is Paul Berabe, another UMass guy who unwound my detestation of ceramics after two semesters at UNH with Al Potter (yes, that was his name)).
I have never stopped thinking about John Grillo and will continue to carry him in my art heart.
shawn finnegan
Thursday, January 15, 2015
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