I grew up in a house filled with art.  My parents collected paintings, sculptures and other objects d’art.  I spent endless hours in front of paintings, transported to other times and places through dabs of pigment on canvas.  I craved the ability to produce lovely artistic works, but I languished under art teachers whose attentions were devoted primarily to those students with the innate talent to already do what was required and I soon gave it up for other studies.

I was successful in a 40+ year vocation in social services, finding fulfillment in helping others to learn how to make changes in their lives.  The longest term in this career was in a position directing a local charity that served low income families.   This was extremely hard work: raising money, maintaining facilities, doubling the capacity of the programs, and performing all the human services tasks for a staff of 30+ people.  At age 36,  I turned to art as a means of stress reduction by learning how to draw.

The elevated stress levels is one reason social service positions  have extraordinary high turnover; it is unusual to have a CEO for 30 years.  I attribute some of my longevity to the release art has brought me.

I took the “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” course based on the theories of Betty Edwards.  Through it I came to believe that anyone can learn how to draw, if they apply these principles.  After years of practice, I turned to the daunting task of learning watercolor.  I am fascinated with light and how it transforms objects.  I am thrilled with the challenge of creating a two dimensional rendering of three dimensional subject matter.   I have since dabbled with oil and pastel but watercolor remains my primary media.  Aside from a few courses at the Waldron and many workshops through BWS, I have no formal art education.  I have been teaching a variation of the “Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain” course to students who either believe it is beyond their ability to learn or for those who wish to improve their painting by improving their drawing skills, with great success.  Focusing on very small groups of 3-5 students, every student has accomplished their goals in my class.

The subjects I am most attracted to are people and animals.  The vitality of a living person or creature is a mystery to capture.  I have made floral renderings and a few landscapes to my satisfaction, but I prefer the living, breathing subject.  I made a “bucket list” trip to Africa in 2013 and was immersed in the wilderness experience.  I have painted subjects from that trip many times and am still motivated to do more.  You can leave Africa, but it never leaves you.

My desire is to be a better portrait painter; I feel I can draw people with accuracy, but putting pigment to that rarely hits my vision.  More work to do there, lots more work.  I also aspire to achieve better results en plein air.  I find this sort of work to be the most challenging and feel it offers great opportunities for growth.  Fortunately, I know of a local group that encourages both of those activities.