The Blank Canvas

 Fine Artist: Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson

The Blank Canvas

It can be argued that when we are young the promise and endless potential that we possess is as infantile as a stark naked canvas.  When Elizabeth St. Hilaire was young, she wanted nothing more than to be an artist.  Her family wasn't sure.  But she persevered and even landed herself a spot in the esteemed Syracuse art program. 

The dreams and friends we meet in these critical years are where the picture begins to form and take its shape.  This was no different for Elizabeth.  She thrived at her new institution, both with her artwork as well with the new friends she made.  Everything was going swimmingly for the young Elizabeth. 

So now I ask you to imagine yourself in the prime of your life.  You are doing well in school, and you are on your way to Europe with your friends to study art.  

You’re in art’s Mecca.

It's the time of your life. 

Christmas is so close you can smell it in the distance.  It smells like cinnamon.

As your friends begin to pack to leave, you decided to stay behind for a bit longer,  to learn and see more.  

“See ya later,” you say as they leave, “I’ll see you when I get back.”

When you are that age, a week or two is nothing but a chance to obtain another adventure.

You wave your friends goodbye as they step on board their Pan-Am flight. 

It is December 21^st and the year is 1988. 

The airplane which your friends step onto is Pan-Am flight 103. 

It is the last time you ever see any of them again.

The news of the Lockerbie disaster reaches you hard and fast, breath is hard to find.  The news is too much, too horrific, and too much to bear. 

All passengers gone. 

All of your friends gone. 

A terrorist attack, a bomb. 

Their faces fill your head.

This is a fragmented portion of Elizabeth's life. 

We’ve all heard the cliché that misery and tragedy inspire great art.  In my own darkest hours, I have found that the aforementioned does not work as inspiration per se.  We do not draw from horrific events, but rather these events force us to look inward and evaluate our own self worth.  These events ensure that we move forward with the wind of those lost at our backs.  We become more than ourselves, because we live for more than just for ourselves. 

Elizabeth St. Hilaire embodies this persona.  She is a talented person, whom I believe has always been talented, however she is a fine artist with a commitment to not only herself but also to those who boarded that plane all those years ago.  Her art is the beauty she brushes to the ground as she moves onward through life, and I am so proud to watch as its beauty graces my own existence. 

Dedicated to the Souls of Pan-Am 103

Israel J Parker