Dick Weber
in June, my student and close friend, Dick Weber passed away. I met him two or three times a week for his painting lessons. On June 2nd I went to his studio and he wasn't there. He always beat me there. I called and he was at his doctors office. He told me he was being sent to the ER. The next time i talked to him he had had surgery. He called to tell me. That was the last time I talked to him except that he immediately and accidentally Facetimed me from his hospital bed. He was prone to doing that. Considering his age, he could work with his Iphone pretty well! My Dad, who was of the same age and a flight engineer in the USAF couldn't get past his flip phone. Just couldn't work with an iPhone. I'd tell him to touch an icon and he'd punch it. Fun times.
Anyway, Dick showed up at his studio every day. Sometimes twice a day. On the days I was there, we stood at our respective easels with a narrow glass top tablle between us for a shared palette. He said he loved to watch me paint so he provided me with the easel, canvases and we used his paint and brushes, etc. Dick had furnished his spacious studio with two winged-back chairs and a recliner. We first sat and talked for awhile and then painted for a while- then sat back and discuss what we'd painted. We'd paint again, then sit and talk some again or he would watch me paint until time for him to go have lunch with his friends. He always told me to stay as long as I wanted and I would usually stay and paint for awhile. When I was diagnosed with cancer on July 8, 2022, Dick was such an encouragement. He had be en diagnosed 20 years before. He called almost every day to check on me during my year long treatments. He was usually in tremendous pain due to his back problems but, he was always smiling and laughing. He was such an inspiration. Going to meet with him was part of what kept me going during chemo and radiation. There were ony a few times that I called to tell him I just couldn't make it to our meeting that day. I wasn't as tough as he was. After he died I took over his studio. It was hard going back with him not there, sitting among all his things.i struggled to make myself paint for weeks. I did'nt want to leave the house. I'm slowly getting back into it. I have a huge commission of 6 paintings to complete for Hendrick Hospital that has kept me busy. Dick would want me to keep on going and I will. I'm a pretty determined person myself. I'm missing him. I am posting a picture of him in front of his last painting. He finished it and put a blank canvas on his easel, ready to start a new one on that dreadful day. He never wanted to stop. He was always saying, "Motion is Lotion"
