About me
So, this website wants me to answer the question, What's great about me
In order of importance, I have say, I am 75 years old, been married to the same man since 1968, and have an incredible family. And, you may be wondering, What does that have to do with your being an artist
Combined, each area has contributed to my creative side every step of the way,
But, let me go back even further than 1968-- back to the "Wogie Days", back to 1948 when my mother birthed me. We were a family of 5: father, mother, me, my sister, and brother. Growing up the 60s ( now labeled Baby Boomers) in a dysfunctional family, at a young girl, I discovered joy in coloring books, crayons, pencils, scissors, and papers. Then, after entering elementary school, to my delight, I began to see that my fingerpainting, or drawings, or mostly any classroom art projects the teachers had wanted, I was able to do, and do well: more delight within the educational part of my life.
Then when in hIgh school, the joy and skill combined blossomed, particularly when my abstract design was selected for inclusion in a National Collection of HIgh School Students' Art.
I entered Frostburg State College in 1966 as an art major. I quit the first semester--not because of the grades, but for a bunch of other reasons at that time.
I look back now and, for me, dropping of college was the right decision, even though the college dean did not want to accept that.
Fast forward past marriage, past my husband's final years at college, having one son, three grandchildren, living and working with New Tribes Mission, a full-time mother and homemaker, wife to a successful husband in the automotive industry to around 1990, when my yearning to do something more with my art.
In the 80s, I was writing children's literature, which resulted in some contracts. That jettisoned my desire to become an illustrator (maybe of my own stories), and located an illustrator professor at my former dropped-out-of university who agreed to mentor me, which we did, along with an audit of her class in illustration,
at the same college I had abandoned years prior. This fine-tuned my drawing skills. That coupled with the my art style and writing got me and invisible A for the course.
The work began in the realm to become a children's book illustrator; however, not long thereafter, the prognosis of illustrating scenes from my stories didn't make sense (each illustration up to 100 hours).
That was a turning point.
in 1997, my husband (remember I mentioned him in the beginning
I haven't looked for another genre, niche, category, or identifier since then.
Today, in 2023, retired and continuing to pursue annually a number of competitions, exhibitions, and a host of online submissions, or websites, my rewards have been many--not major nor earth-shattering in name and monies--but, flattering and unique.