Last Saturday, I was invited to attend my former school, St. Anthony's Canossian Secondary School's Charity Gala Dinner event (a fundraiser for the renovation of the school and its program). It was somehow a nostalgic moment to see a few familiar faces after nine years.
Witnessing the auctioning of the artworks at the event was a first for me. I never thought the process of having your artwork being auctioned right in front of you could be nerve-racking, especially since I wasn't able to follow up well on what was going on around me. That intense silence of when the next bid would come and the subconscious calculative nature of the comparison of your artwork to the rest done by the professional artists.
In the end, it was sold off at a reasonable price, though the lowest as compared to the others. I admit I was a little embarrassed and disappointed especially at the information being omitted about the artwork that got into the Society of Illustrators' Student Scholarship Show. It was a portrait of Mother Teresa.
However, the next day, I received a very heartwarming email from a gentleman, Mr. Derek Soon who came forward to give his thanks and share his thoughts:
"Mother Teresa has a special significance for me. When I was living in London, my wife and I used to spend our Sundays with the soup kitchens run by the Missionaries of Charity. Each of the sisters a mini mother teresa, humble, modest, fiercely kind and loving, and prayerful. It humbled me to be with them, to follow their example, and I always considered myself so privileged to serve and love Christ in the poor, alongside them. We were very lucky indeed. So thank you for creating the portrait, for reminding me of that special woman." - Mr. Derek Soon
It taught me a very useful lesson that the appreciation and significance of my artwork in their lives are so much more invaluable than the cost of the artwork.
I couldn't help smiling and feeling so thankful to know how my artwork, Mother Teresa is significant for Mr. Derek Soon and that it is in the good hands of his kind mother, Mrs. Jenny Lee Soon.
"I got the best piece and at the lowest price, the woman in me loves a bargain!!!" - Mrs. Jenny Lee Soon
Witnessing the auctioning of the artworks at the event was a first for me. I never thought the process of having your artwork being auctioned right in front of you could be nerve-racking, especially since I wasn't able to follow up well on what was going on around me. That intense silence of when the next bid would come and the subconscious calculative nature of the comparison of your artwork to the rest done by the professional artists.
In the end, it was sold off at a reasonable price, though the lowest as compared to the others. I admit I was a little embarrassed and disappointed especially at the information being omitted about the artwork that got into the Society of Illustrators' Student Scholarship Show. It was a portrait of Mother Teresa.
However, the next day, I received a very heartwarming email from a gentleman, Mr. Derek Soon who came forward to give his thanks and share his thoughts:
"Mother Teresa has a special significance for me. When I was living in London, my wife and I used to spend our Sundays with the soup kitchens run by the Missionaries of Charity. Each of the sisters a mini mother teresa, humble, modest, fiercely kind and loving, and prayerful. It humbled me to be with them, to follow their example, and I always considered myself so privileged to serve and love Christ in the poor, alongside them. We were very lucky indeed. So thank you for creating the portrait, for reminding me of that special woman." - Mr. Derek Soon
It taught me a very useful lesson that the appreciation and significance of my artwork in their lives are so much more invaluable than the cost of the artwork.
I couldn't help smiling and feeling so thankful to know how my artwork, Mother Teresa is significant for Mr. Derek Soon and that it is in the good hands of his kind mother, Mrs. Jenny Lee Soon.
"I got the best piece and at the lowest price, the woman in me loves a bargain!!!" - Mrs. Jenny Lee Soon
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