The artist paints what he knows, not what he sees.

My uncle Andrew Chinn, painted watercolors.
The entry in Wikipedia doesn’t do justice to him.

Didn’t talk about how he loved bass fishing.
How he painted while he fished out of his imagination.
Watercolors in his unique blend of American Oriental.

The watercolors were of plain trees and dwellings,
landscapes done in a nostalgic chinese-american style.
Not portraits, nothing too abstract.
My uncle played the trumpet, self-taught.
We fondly called him, Sachmo.

You’ll find the paintings at the Andrew Chinn museum.

He was mom’s older brother. He was always looking out for her.
He was also my scout master, who single-handedly
resuscitated the Chinese Boy Scouts, troop 254
for my cousins and me.

These watercolors are melancholy sweet,
the dreams of a Chinese-American painter,
bass fisherman.