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Dinner With Iron Eyes Cody...June 15,1985
On June 15, 1985...my friend Dick Hillberg flew my daughter and I to Ontario, California, to look at my artwork and meet some friends of his, so they could see my work. He picked us up at the motel, and asked us if we liked Chinese food.
My daughter, Ley and I adore Chinese food, and enthusiastically told him this...and he casually said, "I hope you don't mind if a few friends join us for dinner!" Well, we told him that we didn't mind at all!
So, we arrived at the New China Cafe, in Ontario, and had to stand in the foyer waiting for a special room that they had reserved for our private party.
Suddenly, Dick turns towards the front door and says "Well, here comes our group now!" So, I turn around to see, to my amazement and delight, "THE Iron Eyes Cody" walking through the door, beadwork, feathers, the works!! At the time I was a portrait photographer for "Olan Mills" and had just worked in Palmdale, California, where he was featured on the front cover of the phonebook, and they had a lengthy biography of him inside, so I was very aware of who he was, and had loved him since I was a little girl!
It turned out he was with OUR party, and I was giddy as a school girl with my first crush! They took us into our private room and everyone just kept standing around, so, I took up a chair on the side of the long table, and Dick exclaimed "No, Patti Jo...You are the GUEST of HONOR...and you will sit at the head of the table!! WOW>>WOW>>WOW!!
So, I went to the my assigned seat, with Iron Eyes on my right side and Ley on my left, and the others down both sides. Also a guest was Victor Buck, a very close friend and companion of Iron Eyes, and an art critic and appraiser.
They looked at my little album of paintings, and Iron Eyes was quite taken by a painting of a Native woman, and went on and on about "every little hair!". They advised me to keep painting, and get my work out there any way I could if I had to give it away, and that eventually, they would come to me!
The remainder of the evening, we pigged out on a fine array of Chinese Cuisine, and listened to Iron Eyes tell us stories about how he came to be an actor, and several other stories!
I asked him , after working up the nerve, for his autograph, and he pulled out of his pocket some pre-signed pictures of himself and the POPE and himself and Lana Wood (Natalie's sister), and gave me several!!
This was the major turning point of my career, that night, as I prayed after going back to the motel, my mind racing over the events of the evening, for what should I do..quit my job and paint? I couldn't afford to do that!! I prayed for an answer I could not mis-interpret..or misunderstand, or add my own meaning to....Which by the way..BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU PRAY FOR!!
Next day we flew home, and the following day I returned to go to work, as usual, and never made it past the parking lot!!! I ended up going to the hospital and having emergency sugery for a tubal pregnancy, much to my surprise, and was forbidden to go to work for a month. Well, that month turned into 5 long hard years of pain from what evolved into a ruptured disc in my back, leading to another surgery for that!! I was disabled for a total of 7 years...which I was able to spend painting!! I got my answer very clearly that my art was what my mission was on this earth, or at least the beginning of it!!
You are welcome to call me at: 509-397-3725 or on my cell at 509-339-3929.
Email me at: artbypattijo@yahoo.com
Here are some more of my photographs, drawings and paintings for your viewing pleasure!!!!
And here are some of my photographs that I will wither paint or sell as photographic prints. Sit a spell and enjoy!
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