Following my last post on my office art challenge
I have collected a few examples of different types of drawings that would be eligible for the contest and the awards. Each one requires different level of skill but today I will show you an example of office art created by my colleague Vassilis. In case you wonder he is not competing.
At first you may think that is not that good, but still there is a story behind this that needs to be heard and thus a value that needs to be recognized.
So Vassilis drew this:
Funny, right?
The Story.
Vassilis had a passion for horses since he was a little boy. His father got him into horse riding and he even bought him his own horse to help him train. However horses are of high maintenance, and the financial burden prevented the father from supporting his boy's passion forever. The boy continued to compete in horse riding but he never stopped longing a horse of his own.
Two decades after, Vassilis' carreer was rising and he was finally able to make his dream come true. In 2008 he bought his own horse. This horse became his passion.
The two of them competed in tournaments for three years. They won many competitions together, they were great partners, but above all they were great friends. Vassilis loved this beauty so much that he stopped using it for his sport that often anymore, instead he took the horse to vacation to make sure it gets rested and recovers from any injury or burden that it may have suffered. One summer, I think he said it was 2012 he took it to a farm on beautiful Paros island, where the horse was very happy. It would play around like a puppy, walk on the beach and only ride when the horse itself wanted to.
Holidays were soon over and Vassilis had to take the horse back to the club. Of course he would continue to visit it at least once a week, to train and play together. But it is a fact that all good things come to an end, and this end is usually unexpected.
It was a Saturday morning (or was it Sunday...?) that Vassilis went to visit his horse carrying bags full of carrots and other treats. That day he would only visit his horse to pet it a bit and take it for a ride maybe. But no training. No obstacles. Just bonding. When he arrived at the club and asked permission to go to the barn, the ladies at the secretariat turned grey. No one would tell him what was going on. Everyone knew how much he loved his beauty...
When he found out that his friend had died suddenly during the night, Vassilis got lost. He told me he left the club in despair, walked almost unconsiously for hours, as far away as he could. When he finally got himself back, he was many miles away from the club and his car.
Vassilis never fully recovered from this loss. He never bought another horse either. He pushed the memory back, but when I asked him to draw something to help me promote my art challenge, his horse appeared again.
...the drawing doesn't look worthless or funny anymore, does it?
Art is not about skill. It is about the soul. Just let it show.
Vassilis and his beloved friend. RIP beautiful horse.
