My 4 th grade teacher, Mrs. Aldridge, saw a potential in me for art while in her class, and insisted I participate in an open air art fest set up on the square in Independence Missouri. That was in 1962. I’ve been drawing and painting ever since. I find acrylics to be affordable, usable on any
surface, and easy to work with. However, in school the medium I utilized frequently in painting was tempera, (similar to low end acrylics-supplied by the school) though occasionally water color (which is far more demanding in quality paper, accuracy and drying before adding more colors). I’d never focused fully on water color until my retirement in early 2025. I continue to find watercolor far more demanding than acrylics, but the journey has been enlightening and often joyful.

Having never sold my art (in the past), I was commissioned to paint three pieces by my final boss in the legal field, to put in our office before I retired. These were each done in acrylics of course; one of buffalo grazing, another a field of sunflowers and the third a colorful spring crocus. As our office was in Kansas and the company’s colors were lavender and green on black, the crocus piece seemed appropriate, along with local buffaloes and sunflowers. I received a generous financial boost for more art supplies which I genuinely appreciated then and to date.

Retirement at the end of January 2025 opened all doors for me to learn how to properly paint in water color. Hello You Tube! Soon I realized that every single artist approaches this medium differently (as in all mediums as well!) and it was up to me to discover this skill within myself. I
have approximately 300 pieces of learning to date; some I will share in the following selections.

 

As for pastels, I’d never even thought of this genre until I received several pastel sets formerly used by my partner’s mother after her passing. She was such an amazing portraiture and sketch artist! I am truly blessed to be able to use these gifts from her talents and wish she were
here to guide and teach me! I am finding joy in this medium that I didn’t anticipate and hoping this joy will show through as I grow in this art venue.

Painting has always been a bit of therapy for me, and I hope you will find some joy here and there as you peruse this current collection.