A Little About Me
The wheels are now set in motion. Oh, my goodness, what have I done? My joy is to create and share my creativity with others.
Nine years ago I retired from teaching kindergarten. Since then, I have been painting and creating. And, during this time, I have learned my weakness. And that is self-promotion. Some call it Imposter Syndrome. When this syndrome exists, one ends up with an overabundance of artwork. But, there is an upside: Change of art for every season. Change of art every month. Needless to say, my wall art is changed on a regular basis.
I am not a young artist. At 73 years of age, I knew it was time to stretch and embrace unknown technology to promote myself and my art. The year 2022 began with my intention of embracing “Strength and Grace”. I love the power of these words and often place them beneath each art piece. Each piece is a reminder of my yearly intention. After experiencing the traumatizing effects of Covid with family and friends, I needed some emotional strength to stay productive and positive. I place Grace as an intention to continuously feel blessed by the gifts God has given me, my family and friends. And, strength to optimistically accept criticism of my art.
My mum, Millie, was my greatest influence. She, and my aunts were artisans, as were their children, my cousins. They were a family that made the most out of very little. They are artists, quilters, seamstresses, home decorators, writers, party planners, potters, gardeners, herb gatherers, insect and birdhouse builders, wool spinners, bread makers, cooks and bakers. I grew up with strong women and have cousins and sisters who forged ahead even when told it can’t be done.
I learned early from my Mum that moving furniture from one room to another set the train in motion for a complete decorating home overhaul. Our living room became the dining room. I learned that changing a few pillows changed the entire feel of a room without spending much money. Making pillows out of placemats was an inexpensive way to follow the seasonal changes.
My husband, Gene, learned early in our marriage that I had mastered the ability of changing things. No room stayed the same for very long. For example, while he was on a three-day business trip and I had three young children at home, the wheels started to turn. Always feeling the urge to decorate without shacking up our budget, I was amazed to learn what I could do with a simple can of paint.
The brick wall in my family room needed attention. I white-washed it. It was one the few times I allowed the kids to watch TV all day. This led to a decision to refurbish our stained dining room hardwood floor. I had fun painting it blue and stenciling the border. The kids helped by sanding the floor. They are never too young to learn. I had a long night of painting and then had to navigate the kids and the dog to stay off the floor the following day. My last ingenious task was to take a jigsaw to my laminate countertop in my kitchen. Our portable butcher block dishwasher desperately needed a new home. My intent was to remove a cabinet so that I could roll it into a new open space. It worked! It worked! But, for years, my husband reminded me of my very uneven cut, which was visible every day. For me it was “Mission Accomplished”.
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By the way, we just celebrated our 51st wedding anniversary.
My kindergarten class
With my grandmother, Catherine
Gene & I say "I Do"
A Life in Art
I teach art to children and adults out of my home studio and absolutely love it. Children come ready to experience a new art form and getting messy makes it more fun. Adults come ready to get started and are open to learning new techniques to increase their art skills and design or composition. I hope that every student in every class learns at least one new skill that they didn't know when they arrived. I would think if a student has any art interest it is more fun to paint your artwork for your home than to buy it!
