Young artist on display at Café Nomad

Photo: Jackie Rybeck

ARTIST AND TEACHER – Silas Gordon is having an art show at the Café Nomad in Norway from February 1 - 28. He has been drawing since the age of two. Emma Day Branch, his art teacher, helps him decide which drawings will be on display.

NORWAY – The Café Nomad in Norway will be the venue for a one-month art display, showcasing the drawings of newcomer, artist Silas Gordon.

Silas is 10 years old.

He has been drawing since the age of two.

“At that age, everybody draws,” he smiled. “But I just kept going. I do use some pen, but mostly pencil. I also work using wood, clay, stones, paper-mache and objects from nature to make sculptures.”

His favorite things to draw are animals and he can put hours into just one piece.

“I like the wildness in them,” he explained. “I will work for a long time on one detail, doing it over and over to get it right. I will look a picture I like, such as a wolf or eagle for a long time, study details like the eye or proportions of head to body, so I can draw it.”

For home-schooled Silas, lessons started at a very, young age.

“The textbook part takes less time than public school,” said Silas. “That gives me more time to draw. I started drawing trucks with my dad, then doing crafts at pre-school. Mom and I did drawing lessons together from the book named Drawing Textbook and I have taken lessons from Duncan Slade in Norway.”

Since July, Silas has had weekly lessons with another young artist, Emma Day Branch.

“Emma gives me something to look forward to and to get ready for,” he said. “She is as interested in art as I am and she helps with getting the proportions right and helps me with shading to make things pop out of the page.”

“She also helps me with new materials and ideas,” he added.

Emma is excited to work with this young artist as well.

“He is a unique, smart, focused, creative and just a sweet kid across the board,” Emma explained. “He is incredibly talented and creative and I am excited and lucky to be working with him.”

He really likes animals!” she added. “So we stick with that as a theme since that's what he loves, but we will go into new mediums such as conte crayons, charcoal, paints and chalk as well as exploring toned paper and erase-away techniques.”

Displaying his artwork is not new to the young artist.

“I put a drawing in the All Ages Art Show at Oxford Hills High School two different years,” he smiled. “And I entered the Norway Library bookmark design contest three times and won twice and I plan to sell my art at the Common Ground Fair this fall.”

Silas will display 12 pieces of artwork along with greeting cards at the Café Nomad. The pieces, as well as cards will be for sale, with his subjects in mind.

“I want to help dogs, wolves and endangered species,” smiled Silas. “So I plan on contributing my profits to organizations such as Loki Clan Wolf Refuge on the Maine/New Hampshire border, Defenders of Wildlife and World Wildlife Fund.”

Art is not his only interest as Silas is involved with running track, gymnastics and playing piano and guitar.

What will the future hold for this bright, young man?

 “I would like to be an animal artist and helper,” he explained. “But the future is something you have to wait, and wait, and wait for and it never comes. Art is something I am already doing.”

Photo: Jackie Rybeck

ELEPHANT – A pencil drawing by Silas Gordon of Oxford. Silas is having a one-month art show at the Café Nomad in Norway.