About the Artist

A friend recently asked me when it was I first realized that I could paint. I told her that I have been blessed to have been surrounded by creativity all of my life. "All I know is that I come from a long line of extremely talented women; all of whom I pale by comparison."
There was my maternal grandmother, who tended the most enchanting flower garden a child has ever seen. I remember the dahlias and gladiolas that towered over my head as I toddled up the path to my "Grandma". But as a little girl, the best things to me were the paper dolls she crafted while I sat in her lap. I remember the way her scissors moved and how thrilled I was when her creation finally unfolded.
Another influence on my life was my paternal grandmother who designed the most beautiful quilts, all by hand. She chose the perfect color combinations and the prettiest little floral materials to set off her designs. She used the teeniest stitches, not the basting stitches you see on many quilts today. Hers were truly museum quality.
And there is my own mother who used to draw my portrait while I slept. (I wouldn't sit still long enough while awake) She, too, is a seamstress who would just as soon tackle making a wedding gown as making the bed skirts and curtains for her great-grand children's nurseries.
About 20 years ago I read a book by Edith Schaeffer, wife of the late Christian philosopher, Francis Schaeffer, entitled Hidden Art. In it, Mrs. Schaeffer talks about the fact we are all made in the image of God. God made us like HIM...the CREATOR. If that be true, and I believe it is, then, there is in each of us a seed of creativity. For some of us it may be cooking a gourmet meal, writing a poem, composing music, arranging a bouquet of flowers, or growing a vegetable garden. It could be designing a faster race car, discovering a cure for cancer, or designing a web site. I believe we all have a creative seed in us waiting to be discovered and to be used. I also believe our well being depends on us finding our talent(s) and expressing them.
My answer to my friend was simply that since I was a little girl, I have been surrounded by talented people. I have always known that there is a seed of an artist in me. I don't have the patience to sit and sew little bitty stitches all day and I am still working on my green thumb. But, I do love to paint and have been doing so for over 25 years.