Jon Helland was my teacher

Jon Helland's Pirate, with Barbara helping

 

From the Really Old File: I was five when I got art lessons from famed San Diego artist Jon Helland. We worked on this pirate together for one day's lesson. If you Google his other work, you see this looks like a child did it by comparison; but if you saw my other art as a five year old, this looks like an adult did it by comparison.

The end of the story is, according to Mom, Jon came back to her after about six lessons and told her he wouldn't teach me any more. He said I was too free, and he was more finicky and detail-oriented in his work--he was worried he'd spoil me. I think he was very thoughtful--as an artist who was trying to supplement his income by teaching little kids, to give that up. I liked his studio in La Jolla, by the way, and his nearly-blind partner was cool, too--he had cookies for me every time.