DAILY CLIPS COVER - East Carolina University

Mother's Day is a little bittersweet for Jonkheer, who lost her mother 10
years ago to cancer. She couldn't work for two years after her mother's
death, she said.
“My mother and I were best friends.”
Her mother recognized Jonkheer's talent early, when at age 4, Jonkheer was
drawing three-dimensional people rather than stick figures.
“I always knew you were going to be an artist,” her mother told her once.
Jonkheer has passed that talent on to her own son, Aidan, 7. Aidan has his
own little studio in the back of his mother's studio. Among other mediums,
he makes art out of recycled materials, paints and draws and sells some of
his work at art openings his mother holds. Aidan comes to work with
Jonkheer after school and on Saturdays.
“I would like to take some of his drawings and turn them into pieces,”
Jonkheer said. “He makes these amazing little dragons he's done for years.”
She plans to teach Aidan the art of metalsmithing. And while she never
became an English teacher, Jonkheer is able to express her love of teaching
by holding art and jewelry-making classes for children and adults. She
teaches young people at the DREAMS Center for Arts Education in
Wilmington. And this summer, starting in July, she is offering three summer
camps at her studio for children ages 7 to 12 (see box, 1D).
Jonkheer said she believes children's creations are special.
“I love that early art,” she said. “I think it's the best art.”
And children don't have to worry about marketing and bottom lines when it
comes to their art.
“It's a tough time to make a living as an artist, but we are fortunate that there
are a lot of people in this town who go out of their way to support local
artists,” Jonkheer said. “It's important to them. And not just local artists,
local merchants also.”
Her latest idea is the creation of copper tags for pets. Customers can bring in
pennies (those made before 1982 are solid copper, but any penny will do),