How it Evolved

When I first began sketching as a young girl I sketched the Disney characters off of drinking glasses from back in the 1970's. It was fun to see if I could get them to look like the character I was copying. They were pretty good but not good enough I thought, so I dropped it. Years later I was bored and needed an outlet. I attempted to recreate portraits of old people, Native Americans, and children in pencil and pen and ink from pictures I had found in magazines. Like before not bad, I was definitely getting better. Maybe I did have some talent.

"Branch out". I said, "Try new things". I said. Take the next step and see where it leads. I tried working with oil paint and didn't like it. (It takes to long to dry.) I bought a bunch of little bottles of acrylic paints and gave that a shot. "There, that's what I like." Same color but easier to use. I spent hours trying to paint one mountain landscape from ideas I had in my head. It wasn't easy, I really struggled with it. See I have never been in an art class. I didn't even take art in school, so this was all new to me. I realized I could get ideas, perspective, colors, and so forth from using multiple photos found in books, magazines and pictures I had laying around. "Yes, definitely getting better". I painted a portrait of an Indian Chief in acrylic when I was in my early 20's. "Not bad", I thought lets see what a professional thinks. I took my one small painting to an "art instructor" to see what he had to say. He told me I had no talent and find a different hobby. He said, "My colors were bad, the size was wrong, and I didn't have good perspective." No constructive input, just mean.

Well, that hurt! so I quit.

It was many years later before I tried again. I worked in an elementary school for years when my kids were little and in school. I would often create bulletin boards and art to hang on the walls of the library I worked in. It was an eye opening experience! I realized it was possible, I could really paint! So through the 25 years I was at the school I created many different projects and then decided I would take it a step farther....