As a young child of 3, Dion displayed a precocious talent. While his playmates were drawing clumsy stick figures, Dion saw the details, lines and expressions on people’s faces and applied them on the little sketches he made. His parents were astounded by his ability to reproduce architectural details of the family home in true perspective. Dion drew everything he saw. Hundreds of these drawings still exist, and they capture the minute detail of the world as the young Raath saw it. Dion’s parents, faced with this impressive output and their son’s natural ability, engaged a local artist to act as a tutor. Over the next few years, Dion’s skills were honed and developed. He was delighted to make his first sale in 1973. The buyer’s comments are unrecorded, but he was undoubtedly delighted with his purchase. The amount received from the sale was the princely sum of 20 cents. This was considered vast wealth for a small boy of 6 at the time. The drawing, in crayon, showed the 3 magi on the way to Bethlehem. One of Dion’s school teachers, astonished at the result, sent him to the headmaster who promptly bought the work perhaps convinced that the young pupil would one day achieve fame in his chosen field.
In these early years Dion concentrated on figure drawing, portraits and wild animals. He became known for his reluctance to draw animals and people in their predictable manners. Striving to capture the unique qualities of his subjects, he applied himself to draw and paint from unusual perspectives and angles. |
