Show Child Genius T Takes ake to Easel EaselS S And Oils When Not Caddying j j r JOHN Wl WIKTORA By GEORGE BRITT RITT N NEA E Service Writer CHICAGO Nov ov 24 What 4 What can a I golf caddy do between games except shoot craps yell Well John Wiktora paints pic pic- pic- pic tures John was painting one dull day two years ears ago on the flat fiat roof of a building of the South Shore Country club here his father has a job As he climbed down dow l from the tile room a a. club member saw him and questioned him John then was waIf walO 10 years old YOUTHFUL dENIUS GENIUS Im an artist he explained bis his gray eyes looking over o the member in dead dea i earenst The lake is beautiful beautiful beautiful beau beau- fro up Ui there with sailboats goIng goIng going go go- ing out and the sun shining on the blue My ly father said it was au all allright allright right to go up and paint So It happened that the member became interested and told Carl N. N drector of the Chicago Academy Academy Acad Acad- emy of Fine Arts Director asked John to come come down to art classes without paying any tuition and the boy has been a student there ever er since The expense of his drawing draw draw- in jag ing materials he earns cams on the 5 golf course He He Heis is the most promising child genius we ever had is the way the director describes himlie him He lie is Just a a a. little boy painter of course cours It would be distressing Irhe if Ir he could paint like Whistler now But las Ins work noil shows s hou s the mark maik of the gods upon him and anti he has the thc Initiative initiative Initia Initia- tI tive and interest and the love of pain painting which are necessary to de develop de- de his talent PAINTING HIS PLAY Would you OU rather paint than play ball a visitor asks John Or than go Swimming at the beach Or OrOr Or- Or Or anything else the boy completes completes com corn the question Sure I would John is an only child and his Imagination imagination imagination nation has been nourished upon an endless of romantic folk tales which his mother brought from her native Bohemia My ry mother knows a thousand stories he says But his interest in painting was first stirred by an aunt who lived with them a i WORKS WITH OILS She would have ha been an artist if she could have taken lessons when she was young joung says the boy She used to draw for Cor m me and then I be began began be- be gan gao making pictures m myself I 1 took lessons for a n. time from an artist on the south side aide He lie charged 35 33 cents for Cor an afternoon I made that money by running errands That was four or five fi years yeal's ago Johns John's pictures are those c ot a boyas boy boy- as aa his instructor says saY but already he heIs heIs heis is working in oils the most moat advanced medium And if you are doubtful Just compare compare com corn pare his work worl with that of a student twice his age at the next easel |