Dia's Teen Gallery                 
Page 1

This gallery is dedicated to my 16th summer, back in 1961 when society was so different from the 21st century. That was the last year of my childhood and the last summer I complained of boredom. In 1962 I would graduate from high school and hold a summer job in a resort near Yosemite. But in 1961 my dad fixed me up with an end roll of newsprint, a stick of charcoal, and told me to go draw. So, I did—all summer long. Now, close to half a century later, the newsprint is yellowed and deteriorating. The paper wasn't meant to last this long but has done well, considering it was stored in a file folder.

The size of the originals are tad larger than my scanner so the ragged edges are cut off and it's difficult to read some of the words. Way back when I was just a sweet young thing I had no comprehension that I'd ever be an old lady. Or that these drawings would still exist. Neither had we heard of computers or scanners or cell phones. These drawings were made to occupy a summer and with no thought of how they would look on a website half a century into the future.

Mostly I copied images I saw in magazines and other media. Sometimes I drew what I saw in real life. It wasn't until my 60th year, however, that I started to draw again, this time daring to cut loose and let my own imagination run free. Doodles were the magic entrance into this new world.

The drawings in this section may at times offend those of our decade, but they aren't meant to. It's just a reflection of what life was and how people thought  back then. So, please take these silly drawings for what they are; a time capsule of one girl's childhood. And enjoy. By the way, the drawings do become less gross and more "normal" as they go along. I did manage to grow up a bit by the end of the summer.

Image 500
Smile, even if it hurts

Image 501
We aim for Accuracy
 

Image 502
Stop talking when I'm interrupting

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