LEWISTON, Maine —
Mason Krook is a five-year-old kindergartener from Lewiston who loves birds...I mean seriously, he really loves birds. He loves bird watching, reading about birds, visiting the Audobon Society, searching for birds in the woods and even painting birds.
"I think it's cool to like look at them and learn about them," Mason says. His mom says he has loved birds ever since he could say the word bird.
Mason's parents say he started drawing on his own when he was very young. His father, Brad, noticed his son's propensity towards art and being a former art student himself, dusted off his old art supplies and started to teach his son.
Of course, Mason wanted to paint birds.
Mason's parents, Brad and Emily Krook have been watching sermons on Sunday from their local church where their pastor asked congregants to think of ways to help during the coronavirus pandemic. It got Mason thinking about selling his art.
With the help of a family friend, Mason now his own website, which was created in the middle of March, aptly named Mason's Nest. For a donation of $10 or $20, one can purchase a pdf file of one of Mason's watercolor bird prints.
Mason's dad helps him with the outlines and continues to teach him about shading and colors, but Mason does all the painting. The almost six-year-old uses a picture of a bird to inspire his art and works at his paintings almost every day.
"I made $300 dollars so far," Mason says proudly. All the funds are being donated to the Grace Community Church in Auburn, which is helping locals who do not have enough food.
Mason wants to share his website with other young artists. Anyone interested can email the family and potentially sell their art on Mason's Nest to help the charity of their choice.
"The project is all him and just his generosity and what he thought to do is just amazing to me," says Mason's dad.
When I asked Mason how it feels to know that people are buying his art to hang in their home he replies without skipping a beat, (It feels) good! But I'm the most happy that the sickness would go a little away."
Clearly his love of birds takes a backseat to him wanting everyone to feel better.
