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Prime Times Weekly publication of the Mail Tribune , Medford, Oregon The Art Connection Teacher uses drawing technique to bridge gap between generations By MELISSA MARTIN Alice Hovey had never picked up a paintbrush in her life. Tony Reitinger had always wanted to draw, but never had the encouragement. Jessie Plant is an accomplished watercolor artist who wanted to try her hand at a self-portrait. The three Crossings Heritage residents bravely tackled the tough assignment: draw a picture of yourself. "I couldn't draw a straight line with a ruler," says Hovey, who retired after 25 years with Pacific Bell in Southern California. "I thought they would put my picture up in the post office next to the wanted posters." But instead of the post office, Hovey's portrait is hanging in the main hallway of the Medford retirement home where she lives. "At first they said, `I can't do that,' or `mine isn't so good,"' says their art teacher, Susan Whipple of Jacksonville. "They had layers of how they perceived themselves to work through before they could begin their portrait," she said. "But when they got started, they laughed, joked and enjoyed the class. "I have to hand it to them. This is extremely risky to draw a picture of yourself and they did excellent." Whipple is an art specialist at Grace Christian School who started the class at Crossings Heritage as part of a program she's creating called Art Connection. She wants to use art to bridge the generation gap between senior citizens and grade-school children. Whether she's working with young or old, Whipple teaches a stroking technique with marking pens, emphasizing bright colors, details and a black outline around everything in the picture. "You have to say, `My face isn't really that orange,"' says Crossings resident Jessie Plant. Her daughter and son-in-law are artists, Steve and Sue Bennett of Jacksonville. Plant has a small studio in her apartment, where she paints landscapes and flowers. She's also a writer, having worked for eight years as an editor for the Othello Outlook in Washington, and recently writing a 134-page biography about her husband, as well as 50 pages of her own memoir. "Mrs. Whipple teaches a method that we followed," Plant says. "All of our pictures were essentially the same, but they looked different with our individual, creative aspect." The senior portraits are hanging next to portraits drawn by second-graders at Grace Christian, who had the same assignment. Observers of the artwork are sure to smile, predicts Pam Crowley, Crossings activity director. "What you have when you are finished is something that makes you laugh," Crowley says. "The colors, the interpretation, they have a vitality. We could take a photograph of ourselves and hang it up, but it wouldn't be the same. It wouldn't make us smile." Whipple's students weren't always smiling about their work. At first, both classes were intimidated by the thought of self-portraits. "A second-grader says, `Mine is ugly and yours is better.' And that's what we say. We are our own worst critics," Crowley says. "Second-graders need encouragement to follow it through and so do we." Crossings artist Tony Reitinger agrees. "I wasn't happy with the end results," he says, "until some people started telling me they liked it." Whipple's encouraging words and positive approach spurred Reitinger on. "I tried to keep drawing after I took the classes. I went out and bought art supplies," he says. "But I'm discouraged right now about it. I think I need more instruction." Reitinger served in the Air Force until he was diagnosed with a thought disorder. He's lived in the Rogue Valley since 1973, volunteering as a medical driver for the Department of Human Services. Reitinger is looking forward to Whipple's next assignment, drawing a dog. He plans to sketch his dachshund, Otto. And he hopes to sell his art someday. "I wish I could be a portrait artist to identify people for the police department," he says. Seniors who try art may find a pleasant surprise, the Crossings activities director says. "You might stumble onto something that brings you personal satisfaction," Crowley says. "You can try something for the first time in your life that you never had time to do before." And Whipple, their art instructor, hopes the seniors find another treasure, friendships with children. She hopes to have an art party, busing the seniors to Grace Christian School to show off their work and get acquainted with the kids. "I hope the seniors and the children will get to the point where they can show each other their drawings, ask questions of each other and have a conversation about it," Whipple says. To view the portraits, visit Crossings Heritage, 3033 E. Barnett, Medford. Prime Times front page Mail Tribune front page Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA