A Teacher Turned Artist- Lillian Skerletovic's Toronto Art Exhibition

Peter MacKendrick Community Gallery, Toronto - Lillian's  Art Exhibition Venue

 Last week, I was pleasantly surprised to receive an invitation from Lillian, one of my long time friends, to her own art exhibition held in Toronto!

Lillian and I go back a long way! She is one of my best friends from among my teaching colleagues.

We knew each other almost twenty years ago shortly after she and her family immigrated from Serbia  to Canada.

I still remember her vividly the
first time I saw her at our school.

 Though a supply teacher at the time, Lillian made a lasting impression on me - the dedication she showed to her students; the way she dressed and how she coordinated the colour of her outfits.

 She was substituting for a French teacher for about a month at the time. I would pass by her classroom and purposely slow down my pace so that I could take a look of what she was wearing that day.

 I loved the clever and artistic ways in which she used accessories to dress up her outfits. A European thing I guess, not something we often see in Canadian teachers.






I know that Lillian is very artistic;  she would make a fantastic art teacher! I have seen and admired her work in painting, in jewellery design/ making.

Therefore, it was not a big surprise to me that she would have her own art exhibition one day.

What surprised me was the tremendous amount of energy and time she has spent on her artistic pursuits.

As a former teacher, I know how exhausting it is dealing with energetic students all day.

When I was a teacher, I would go home and collapse on the couch at the end of a teaching day, totally devoid of any energy left for anything!

How Lillian has managed to have created so many pieces of art is beyond my comprehension.

Storm in the Night - My Favourite!

My friend, Lillian, is an energetic, ambitious, determined woman! She has many dreams. Having her own art exhibition is one of them.

The Artist and Her Work at the Art Exhibition

 I was glad that I was able to attend my friend's  first art exhibition, to admire her art pieces, to congratulate her in person and to share in the joy of  Lillian having achieved one of her dreams!

Congratulations and well done, Lillian!

R.T.
Toronto