This painting by the artist Blue, is for sale for $25. If you are interested, e-mail me at [email protected]. First come, first served.

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I feel a call to collect the stories of the refugee children that I have heard over the past few years. Someday they should be published, so they will not be forgotten. I am not the person to write that book, but the stories I have heard will always remain in my heart and my imagination.

And I mention them on the blog when I have permission and it is safe.

The stories are not stories that ought to come out of the lives of children. I think hearts break when children are treated in these days, it is the worst of humanity.

I hear of murder, the slaughter of villages, starvation and disease, of parents and grandparents, friends and neighbors, aunts and uncles,  many of them lost or murdered or left behind. I hear stories of a devastated culture, of genocide and terror, rituals and celebrations, festivals and feasts. Stories of loss and fear.

There are stories of overcrowded, filthy and dangerous refugee camps, riddled with disease and thieves and despair.

Ten year old girls talk of being assaulted, of not daring to look men in the eye, of mothers raped in front of their small children, of babies being tossed into the air by soldiers and caught on bayonets while their mothers watch.

Yet out of this horror comes hope and beauty and  generosity of spirit, I’ve never seen so much empathy and warmth in children. There is little bitterness or complaint.  Many are damaged and carry the scars, many move forward with their lives, full of hope. And they are so often creative, I suppose this kind of suffering opens up the soul.

Blue has had some  hard days and nights in her life, but her art is filled with life and hope. It touches people in a way art sometimes dies, it is emotional and full of spirit. She has been painting and sketching for nearly a year, and is blessed to have a caring and skilled art teacher – Sue Silverstein – and natural talent. The best brushes and paints don’t hurt either.

Blue is a junior at Bishop Maginn High School in Albany, N.Y. and she has asked me to offer some of her art for sale. We gave her bags of art supplies for her watercolors and she is making good use of them this summer.

Sue Silverstein is opening up her classroom so Blue can work. Her mother wants her to be a nurse, and that of course, is up tot he family not me. She is certainly a gifted artist. She says Blue is thrilled to see that people are validating her art work by buying it. Her confidence in her work grows by the day, Sue reports.

So I’m very happy to offer these paintings from the Silverstein Art Gang at Bishop Maginn for sale, Asher’s and Blue’s and Paw Lway Shee. This one above is from Blue, it is inspired by the constellation Aries, she is a star watcher.

I’m asking $25 for this painting. I’m setting the prices of these smaller paintings low so that everyone has a chance to buy one. If you are interested, please e-mail me: [email protected]. Please don’t send any money until I have confirmed that the painting is available.

Blue has sold four paintings so far. She already has a lot of followers.

Please check out the new and inexpensive items on the updated Bishop Maginn High School Amazon Wish List. Some are as low as $10. These lists make it very easy.