More Badges
Here’s a few more I’ve made in the past week:
“Catcher”, 5 x 4 inches, mini textile painting ©2014 Ayn Hanna
Softball…One of my great loves. I would play on any day in any way. I would play in the snow and on the go, in any weather or with a feather. I caught fast pitch softball for 11 years, mostly in the sweltering summer heat and humidity of Kansas City. My favorite summer memory was playing for 3 different teams in 3 different leagues – games and/or practice almost daily! And also playing for 2 different teams in a round the clock weekend tournament playing games all day and all of the night at Miller’s Woods, the greatest softball complex in KC – will never forgot playing a game at 2am.
“French Horn”, 5 x 5 inches, mini textile painting ©2014 Ayn Hanna
As a 4th grader, I was offered the chance to join the school band. The band director demo-ed each available instrument and I chose the french horn because I liked how it looked and sounded – the round and winding metal tubes and the mellow alto sound resonated with me – plus it was one of the instruments the school district owned and loaned out to students, which worked well since I knew we didn’t have the money to buy one.
I lugged that huge case onto the bus, back and forth from school to home so I could practice. The band teacher rewarded my efforts by awarding me the brand new silver french horn in a blue crushed velvet case which the district bought when I was in 5th grade. Then in 6th grade, I got my first (and only) french horn solo, playing Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire at the grade school Christmas party in the gym – I was so nervous and played so off key I’m not sure anyone recognized the song.
My competitive nature kicked in during Jr. High, where I regularly competed with my friend Janet for “1st Chair”. Since our french horn section sat just to the right of the saxophones, one of the incentives for me to make “1st Chair” was that it meant I got to sit next to Becky B, my entertaining friend and pitcher from my softball team, who played the baritone sax. My fun yet short-lived french horn career ended in high school when I was required to choose either band or sports, couldn’t do both.
“PC Board Certified”, 4 x 5 inches, mini textile painting ©2014 Ayn Hanna
Fast forward a bunch of years, past art grad school and NYC artist printmaking studio days. In debt up to my eye balls and needing to earn enough to pay my rent and my student loans, I began my high tech career in a computer manufacturing operation, soldering parts on PC boards through a microscope during the wee hours of the night. Back load, hand load, solder pot….there were lots of certifications to be achieved. Thus began my 21+ year long corporate career.
That’s it for today. The ideas are flowing and I’ve been making lots of drawings….I’ll have more to share soon.
