Reflections Through a DeafLens

QuickTime

Pencils and pens are a staple of Jane's life. She shares mementos from her childhood.

Transcript:

You know, I really like this flat pencil. Carpenters usually use this type of pencil for rough, framing, not really for fine work, just for outlining. I enjoy using this pencil, I wonder if it's still made entirely of wood?

It seems like pencils were always a part of my life, my family's life. Every single day my father made sure he had a pen and paper in his shirt pocket. In our home, on a table, by the front door, we always had paper and pen handy, in case someone rang our doorbell.

I remember receiving my first fountain pen; you're probably thinking, it was a quill! Anyway, I guess it must have been during my sophomore or junior year at the residential school when my parents gave me my first pen, an Esterbrook. See, here, I'm removing the cap; notice the red tips and the white barrel. Here's a little lever to pull down to draw up the ink. It can get a bit messy and I usually have to find a tissue paper to wipe off the extra ink. Nevertheless, I love the feel of the pen, the way the ink flows. I still use fountain pens and have several.

I remember my mother once saying…she used pencils and pens a great deal too, often she'd do a lengthy hunt in her purse for a pen…anyway, "Come, we're going to the store," Mom said. We got on the bus, getting off at Ward's Corner, a little shopping area. We went into one of the shops, a small one with stationery, pens, pencils and pretty knickknacks. As we walked up to the counter, the nice saleslady greeted us. Mom pointed to an object in the glass case, the saleslady took it out. Mom held it up close to her shoulder. It was a lead pencil connected to a pin by a retractable chain. I stood awed as she pulled the pencil up and down. "It comes in different colors," she said, "Navy blue, black, red, and white, which one should we get?" We deliberated and decided on black, thinking it'd go with anything. Notice the pin on the back, you can pin it here. From that point on, mom's hunting days for pencils were over.

Pencils were always prominent in our lives, we'd write all the time to communicate. Over the years, the pencils evolved into different types of writing instruments. typewriter, computer and once long ago, the linotype. We always had some form, a something we used to communicate with, to express what we needed to say. Thinking about this made me think about artists and how they communicate. A dancer communicates by dancing, a writer by writing, an ASL poet or storyteller expresses through the beauty of ASL…a form of expression. A painter expresses with a brush, a stylus, an instrument used to paint. A sculptor with his or her hammer and chisel. There are many forms of artistic expressions.

I wonder what your favorite form of art is. Do you have only one or do you enjoy art in general? Perhaps you enjoy films? You know, a filmmaker communicates by using his/her camera to communicate what he or she wants us to see.

What's your favorite art form? There are all kinds. I'm curious to know what you enjoy. Will you let me know?

Jane