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Hey, this is Ruben with the City of Stars podcast.

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Here I'm interviewing up and coming artists in the Las Vegas music scene. Let's get into today's episode

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Welcome to a new episode of City stores today I am joined by Ellsberg Ella Hurtado. Hi doing good. How are you? I'm doing great. Today's topic drawing Ooh, nice size. So how long have you been drawing?

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Oh,

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pottery is my first memory of me actually, doing any kind of artwork will probably go back to kindergarten.

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In my

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school,

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basically, he asked you remember what you drew?

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As a child? Well, I was a quiet child. So I didn't really talk or interact a lot. So I knew I was always drawing or sketching something. And back then.

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I know schools are different now. But back then the teacher would have us like you're going to draw this. And everyone would have to mimic it. You know, being in kindergarten, it was just not expecting much of it, you know? But she was always happy with my work. I mean, I thought I did good. I think nothing of it. But she always praised me on my artwork. And so one time she led us, I guess I freestyle and do whatever we wanted. And she really liked it. But again, you know, every day she would say, Oh, you did so well. Oh, you did good. Not thinking much of it.

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But there was a particular drawing, which I do not remember what it was. Donna.

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She had misspelled her name, Miss felt it from McKinney High School. She had talked to my parents and told them that my drawings are very good for someone at my grade level or age

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that I would always go above and beyond. On the drawing. It wasn't just like a basic, whatever it was for that moment. I've always added more to it. So she always thought I had some kind of

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artistic gift. Oh, yeah. Yes. So

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she kind of kept the eye out.

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She started to do every year they would have like

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calm contests for whatever grade for the school. And she would always put my work in for the contests. And I've always won.

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I've always won those. What did you all ribbon. I was like, you know, with kids back they were more simple. Like now expecting we're gonna get something it was a certificate, or ribbon or bag of Cheerios, you know, it was nothing like what people expect now like, I didn't go job give me something we were just happy just to be. Well, here's the sticker. Life was much simpler back then. So, to me, it was just a normal thing. It wasn't like

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an ordinary you know, she was oh, you're another contest? Oh, you want I was like okay.

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She recommended that.

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I go to a special school.

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It wasn't on Colton. It was in Riverside, California.

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For kids with gifts, I guess. So maybe I can expand on my drawings. But

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my parents decided not to it was out of the way. You know, we all went to school in Colton and then for them to take me all Riverside so

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it never happened. So, you know, no other school year came along. Teachers always said I did good because art was always mandatory for school, so

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so like every year you take art Yeah.

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mandatory.

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Oh, like we did a once?

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Well, yeah, like the way people write and draw now probably not the best, but like math, reading our PE real P, like we actually do stuff, you know,

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social studies, you know, recess it was your basic school, you know, that you did every, every year. So um, I noticed that every year my drawings are always getting like, submitted into these contests and won you

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don't remember the grade? I was much older Middle School? No, no, I was still Elementary, maybe fourth or fifth grade? Yeah. How was submitted for the city of Colton. Whoa, we saw like a it was like bigger than Yeah, so now it's for the city for the school district. Oh, dang. And I won. You did? Yeah. I didn't know that. Yeah, I won. And might what I won, I guess it was for the Christmas parade. They put my picture by drawing on a stick. I remember I walked the parade with other children.

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And we walked we walked the parade holding a sign while holding the stick, you know, like you would assign our drawing on it to the drawing the back of it was like your name or school and what it was. I don't remember what it was. There's pictures of it. My mom has me walk in the parade. I feel cheesy smile. But yeah. So I always did. I always did well on drawing. And then I went into junior high.

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I took for Dow junior high we were able to pick what we wanted. And I picked

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ceramics, arts and crafts. I did ceramics. So the more clay and you have the little nice little stay goes more harder. Or making coasters a vase cup America being a penguin which I still have the coaster.

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And I still have the penguin.

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But I think I liked it. Like drawing more me it was fine. It was a different.

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Nothing special. You know, I didn't submit my penguin or anything.

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That's all I took for junior high or middle school what they call it now. And I went to high school.

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I took drawing.

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I went back to drawing

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out of Dallas called Dr. Charles Calipari arts. But that was a type of drawing and we did

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chalk.

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Like that chalk on color. Oh, okay. Okay. Yeah. And he shows how does you know so as usual, here's a bowl of fruit. And what our angle on chip put it like in a certain area, in the middle of class, whatever angle you are watching it from your seat, get a drop from there.

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So now it's kind of like a week or two, you know, exactly remember, but wasn't like expect to be done in one day.

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Yeah, how to shade your race and do all this stuff. So yeah, I remember doing that both through I'm gonna vase with some flowers. So that was fun. I like to doing that. Because Elementary, it was more like paint. And in high school, it was more like chalk.

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And so

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I liked it. I liked the chalk. It was because your blends tinctures had a blend. You know, smudge around you don't see like the fine lines. And I liked it. I did actually very well and it really in my school teacher said the same thing like my kindergarten teacher.

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Yeah, one of the best in class. You know, I always got an A I always thought aid are always so this

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is I guess was my thing. Yeah. Not even realizing because, you know, it's mandatory school. You have to do it. Not think anything like oh my god, I'm gonna be an artist. You know, it was just, alright. You're just going to flow with class, you know? I guess that was my thing was art. Well, what was like your approach when you're drawing? Do you remember? I mean, like, how would you like,

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like, process, like a piece of art, right? So you're like, Okay, look at this base. How would you like start

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Trying Yeah, I know it sounds simple, but some people like outwards. So people scale we started outlining, okay, we started and we did it very light. So you got almost like feather strokes with a chalk.

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Very light feather stroke, because what's really going to make the painting or the drawing is

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the shading. You can embed it in with your fingers and you know, smudge it out.

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But that you have to start out by very, very light.

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Yeah, so how much did you like, trying to I know, I did so much to after I had all my children. I wanted to start up on it again. Really. My husband at the time bought me a whole kit,

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paper spray to set to chalk and color chalk and erasers and the whole shebang bank, he got me. Oh, yeah. But you know, those are hard. Because he's being a housewife you're taking care of kids take care of as being taken care of house clean. I wish I was made. It was there. I always wanted to talk him. I'm gonna make time today. I just didn't make time because you know, it's a lot taking care of a house with four children. So for kids, that's a lot.

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Excuse me, that's as normal.

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Having big family back then was normal. Now people are like, oh, one or two, you know, finances or they don't want to deal with kids. You know, whatever. Maybe. But for kids. That's just a normal amount. Yeah. Yeah. I know. A lot of people had way more than me. So I was smart and stopped at four. Yeah. Yeah. So

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not bad. With you. Like, what's your perspective on drawing back then? And now? You know, because you still like looking at art? I do. I love art. Yeah, I was Monet's my favorite. Yeah. Why was he

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just a landscape? It's so beautiful. Just, I mean, I like art, like living here in Vegas at the end of the blush, so does it. Bellagio had an art gallery and they would have different artists? Or I remember that. Yeah. Samara went to the Monet exhibit. And I bought a couple of souvenirs because they're only here for a short time. And they'll go on to someone else. So I like ICAR just so pretty. Even now just like regular art.

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You know? It just oh, so that about it. Just I like about it? What is it? Particularly like, why? I don't know. Just it and I think it's so pretty. It's interesting. people's talents, they come in and, you know, the talent that people have, you know, even abstract, you know, it's all just the colors and I don't know, like Bob Ross. I remember just, you know, seeing him everybody now. And they go vote for us and you make fun of it. But remember kids who see Bob Ross and love watching Bob Ross. How was it actually watching him? You? Loved it. I watched it. I never missed a show. Never miss Chica yard I was going to do today. Of course it's going to be landscaping, of course. You know, there's going to be a chain of course, you know, when he starts off you're like, okay, like, where? Where's this gonna go? Because first you don't see it.

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Like, okay, you know, like in Vegas here in Fremont. You have like these homes that are homeless, but people were like just spray painting art. They make paintings out there and same thing I look at them like okay, where's this gonna go? And they make and they sell them like button to paintings from it's always people

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about a Vega Swan I bought a Nightmare Before Christmas. When I didn't see him make the Nightmare Before Christmas. That one he remade was there for sale. I jumped on that one. But the Vegas one oh yeah, I saw him make I'm like I want that one. Yeah, I just I don't know. I don't know I did something about art attracts me to I wish I had more time to go see art you know go to galleries and stuff I love guys like Thomas Kincade really good. One two people probably know him more. People don't realize Tony Bennett has you know, artwork. You know red skeleton and other old actor people. I don't know he is. His thing was clowns.

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Yeah. Skeleton. I never had Scotland. He was an actor. He was a ginger. Oh, he's an he's an actor. So

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you know there's there's all artists out there.

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Going back to the swap meet stare like these artists and I like it. I'll purchase it you know? Yeah, I have to go to

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tears palaces or habitat a forum. It wasn't paintings it was more like

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sculptures like glass, not like Swarovski, how they Dark Crystal, that big blown glass are.

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They're there for a long time. I don't know if they're still there. But as any kind of art attracts me, not one particular thing. Okay. Now some people have like a favorite oil paintings. That's it, you know? Just all kinds of, you know, yeah, I don't know why but with you like,

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why do you feel so comfortable with drawing because like, there's been a lot of artists the like, branch out into different forms of art, both you you really like stuck with it, because you were just like, kind of, like naturally good at it. Or we're just

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naturally got that, like I say, or just going with the flow.

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Just it's work to get it done. You know, part of my grade. My teachers are the ones who told me, I was good. Yeah, and when sagging older, I'm like, Okay, I'm winning this contest. You know, I'm probably good in the district school district, you know, but I oh my god, I'm gonna be a bill Artis I never saw myself like that.

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They'd be like, just

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thinking big, you know, and being somewhat famous or world renowned. I just, I never thought of it, you know? No, maybe now if I would have put thought into it. Maybe it could have, you know, gone out and got educated on it, you know, going to school and perfect it more. But I think that's kind of like whatever I think either you got it. You got it. You don't need to be taught it. You know, so? Well, they that good? I don't know. My teachers thought so. But I didn't see it like that.

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So

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that's, well, that's a cool how they will recognize that even though you mean I saw it like that. But it's not like my teachers were like that, like they were just honest, like, Oh, it's good. But you were like actually winning stuff. But did you not excel in writing? I did Excel Okay. And you are praised by your teacher? Okay, so, you know, by you, I'm sure you did it just thinking, Oh, it's work, you know, for school? I did. You know,

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that's always good. When someone recognize and praise you, you know, even as adults, we still kind of like you want to hear your boss say, Oh, you did good today at work, you know? Yeah. When people don't do that no more. Yeah, there's like, whatever, kick rocks. You know, so it's good to praise people. You know, we did a

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grandpa Greenwood think about it by your drawings.

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Nothing. Oh,

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okay.

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There's five of us. And my prayers be no fashion. But as being from Mexico raising us to be housewives, not artists. Oh, my daughter's gonna get educated and go to school, become work and become an artist and have hobbies. You don't have hobbies? Your job is to raise your daughters to be good wives. And good mothers. Is how grandma also? Yes.

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So we weren't like they never come or be

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educated. You know, I'm sure my mom has mentioned for that be nice. She ever she said. You guys graduate. We're gonna trip. We gotta go college. And when my mom was from here, you know, she was her uncles and you know them. They're from Mexico. She was around them a lot. So she does know the ideology of it. But my dad been estranged from Mexico and older my mom that's why I was I was like, we're not gonna do anything but be housewives.

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The grandpa over express his like view on art the over ladies like just for men to create everything about art like that. Oh, yeah, I was a wrestler. So I wasn't even close

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to being in this thought process you know, just

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now. So it was just kind of like different in your family.

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Just bringing art Oh, you did good and scored. You're an a plus in your class. Okay, that's good. A good like not like being like sarcastic or like, Oh, that's good. You got an A and that was it.

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Like, Oh my gosh, you do so wow, you should exceed in there and we should look into it because the option was there. And they said no. So

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you know, I never thought about pursuing it outside of school.

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So that was an important stop much passion in it. Just, you know, back then we were always competitive kids back then we're competitive, and everything in our own lives and all the best in math who's gonna finish the quiz for the fastest? P who's gonna run faster? Who didn't do more? Bit more pull up more push ups? You know? We're just always competitive kids. Why do you think it was like that back though,

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can allow

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all kids a jump roping? I can jump rope more DoubleDutch I'm gonna do more. You know, I mean, I don't know, monkey bars, I could do more monkey bars get more, you know, I can do faster. All kids were like that. All kids in everything. Everything was a competition. I remember when I said your tests. First of all, I'm dead. You know? I mean, everything. Just the way we were. Now people are like, Oh, whatever. You know, don't finish it. I mean, try to finish it. You know, just everything. Everything is different from when kids go to school now from when we went, you know, we've changed life's society. I don't know. I don't know. We'll say things are moving forward for the best. I don't know. I don't think so. Yeah. Now, cuz there's, you know, the Oh, you're so fashion and you know, or, I don't know, forget. I think this is dumb now.

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Because there's no even the schools like because I wrote for the school district, you know? Yeah.

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You know, I just think, you know, I wish people would, you know, take pride in our work, like, just basically writing print, you know, telling teach kids signatures Nemours No, these are

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not just these are third thing, you know, kids are different mindsets. Parents have different mindset now, there's everything sidey.

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there for you how you think

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your kids now approach art these days near me, like, do you think art? I think art is optional? Now? It is mandatory? Yeah. For the school. So

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I'm pretty sure it's optional. It's an option. So what was it like back in your time was like, no, no, like, for sure. Like for sure. We had our PE, math, reading science, she also studies that's mandatory.

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Now I don't even think art is mandatory. I think it's an option. I think even PE you only got ticket for half a semester now or you're going to school district so you know. Yeah. And yeah, I think it's mandatory. So there you go. There's our approach on it. The only doing it so you know how you compare it. But do you think it's not like big anymore? That's a whole other topic. Yeah, just a lot of things way things are run now. I don't agree with what I said. That's a whole other topic as another can of worms. Don't get me going on.

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It's just

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by you know, before we end the interview, I want to have

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Amana for you. What does art mean to you?

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machination your vision of the moment and I mean, express yourself This to me just it said when I was young I was a quiet child. I didn't talk around until junior high Yeah, by seventh grade. So maybe I was expressing myself so words and action to my artwork. You know

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it is this art so pretty. All kinds of art you know? Yeah. And

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yeah, takes a lot of talent. I guess I'm not saying I'm full of talent I'm sure I'm not

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you know, it's there's a lot of pretty artwork out Irish people now as adults would step out of the box of what's normal in your life and do different things go to a symphony orchestra play you know, I love arcs.

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Three my kids are that you know, I love it. Love music. That's another form of art. Express yourself through music. You know?

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Um,

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I this is so beautiful. So that's the best way to describe art, you know, people express themselves

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you know, they can't say or people don't listen. Only here's something beautiful being played or something a painting hanging. Like wow, you know, people pay attention

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Yeah, I you know, it makes it a wonderful point. It's almost like like a different kind of voice almost like speaking in a different way you know? Yeah, that's true. That was like with you. You're saying what you think you were expressing back then if you had to look back

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nonIS

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I remember the paintings

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with a big fancy X ray it sorry. I wish I could

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just maybe because my competition the competitive in me, but I'm I'm a better painting than you. Yeah, yeah. That's how we were back then. Or maybe it wasn't It's expressing. You know, I wouldn't be 48 to go back to think what a five year old or six. I was thinking I'd be hard to the mentalities are different. You know?

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I'm sure I was trying to say something. But it is. Only that five year old girl back then would know. Yeah, I don't know. Yeah. But now people could see your new art now. So on your Instagram, which is very exciting. Look out for the new Instagram account asthma art, which will be out soon. Sorry.

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That's

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what they thanks for listening.

Unknown Speaker 26:52
Thank you for having me. Thank you for coming.

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Thanks for listening. Catch us again every Wednesday at 6pm on the rebel night. 1.5 HD two

Transcribed by https://otter.ai