Khalid Ali Taha is an avid supporter of the arts and an passionate artist, musician and writer and the new arts columnist for the Osoyoos Times. He will be writing about the local arts scene in the coming weeks. (Richard McGuire photo)
I’m always amazed at how many times life surprises me. Just ordinary things sometimes give me a sense of wonder and fill me with élan and surprise. Some surprises are small and some a lot bigger.
Small surprises for me are things like the way quail move quickly from one hideout to another, running as if their bodies are trying to catch up with their heads and their feet moving twice as fast as the rest of them.
I’ve never seen quails before living in Osoyoos and something tells me I’m going to smile every time I see a mother leading her young in that chaotic shuffle, scattering in surprise at the sight of me.
Recently, I had the pleasure of a bigger surprise. Big surprises last a lot longer and can really inspire.
Big surprises jump right out at you. Big surprises jump start your spirit like a bolt of lightning. Mostly, big surprises are unexpected and cause one to reassess previous ideas and notions of what is and isn’t.
Karsten L. Coty-Shcoll is a case in point. At first glance, his name is regal, sophisticated and conjures up an image of an elderly fellow, who wears a hat with years of worldly experience, and who is somehow related to aristocracy, a nobleman, maybe a monarch.
I first saw his name on a poster announcing his art exhibit at JoJo’s Café weeks back.
I attended and to my surprise standing in front of me, working the crowd of well wishers and fans of his art, dressed in a shiny iridescent blue colour dinner blazer, was a young man who looked like someone’s kid brother.
But he was much more than my perception of him. He was a very talented artist and original personality, who is full of boyish confidence and a killer smile.
Karsten began his career as an artist very recently when a few years ago he wanted to create movie posters like one of his idols.
From there he has progressed to sketching and painting portraits of famous and not so famous people.
And standing always next to Karsten, is his mother.
It is said that behind every great man is a greater woman and Karsten’s mother certainly fits that billing. It’s heartwarming to see how much support and encouragement she gives her son.
The fact that this young man is talented is not the surprise. It is surprising how much I learn about Osoyoos the longer I stay here and how my assumptions and biases are all being challenged.
They say you should never talk politics and religion. I know that, I am usually really good at smiling and letting folks ramble on about ideas they sometimes know nothing about.
When you talk politics and religion, people’s conceptions are passionate and they will defend them at all cost. Even at the cost of looking and sounding like a fool.
Here then is the last surprise I had this week. When involved in a conversation about religion and politics, watch out who you’re talking to. Apparently, much to my surprise and dismay, Osoyoos has a healthy group of conservative types … that’s to say politely, rednecks, who believe everything they hear on the television and read.
What is surprising is how naïve I am about that, how surprising it is to still find people living in a fantasy about the great issues, ignorant and not willing to listen to reason, logic or facts.
To proclaim your version above all others is the right one is lunacy and extremist. The sad part, this can ruin a relationship before it ever starts. Not always a bad thing.
I don’t know anything about anything, and don’t proclaim to have answers to anything.
But I do know a fool when I see one. And I’m a fool for ever starting to talk politics or religion, because surprisingly, I don’t seem to know a lot about either, and even more surprisingly, I know that and won’t defend a fortress that keeps reality at bay.
The sky is pink, and I can defend that, religion and politics are only one colour, grey, and you can’t see through grey.
It seems I am surprised a lot in Osoyoos. It has almost always been positive surprises, and each surprise is like a lesson I learn.
So I keep my ears and eyes open. I just have to learn to keep my mouth closed, or at least push the mute button more often.
Surprised again.
Kal Taha is a talented painter, artist and musician who moved to Osoyoos five months ago. He is also the new arts columnist for the Osoyoos Times.
