When I asked for art lessons, my father told me he thought that people were better off developing their own skills than following directions and styles prescribed by teachers.
As a consequence of having no formal training, I reinvented the wheel many times over with much frustration to conceptualize perceptions. Though my exposure to NYC museums was rich thanks to my art-loving father and grandmother, my formal education on schools of art, technique, and most especially women in art, was non-existent. The exception was a fascination and self-guided exploration of the 19th century French painter Rosa Bonheur. She was an intense observer and was able to convey these observations with paint.
I had no intention of forgoing relationships and family in pursuit of utilizing artistic talents. In fact, I was very clear that if I rejected myself as a woman I would be diminished. I had reached these conclusions by age 12 but then had to figure out how to release ideas and emotions while balancing roles.
I left family and New York to attend the University of Chicago at age 16 and for the next 5 years I tested and explored different lifestyles while attending college and supporting a husband. I had less than 6 months studio time.
By age 19 I was starting to paint to communicate. I was also studying, editing my husband’s essays and taking notes for him, keeping house, and working as a secretary.
By age 24 I had invested in an easel and while juggling childcare as a single parent, a full-time job as a social worker, and part-time community participation with some social activities, I was attempting to use my passion, insight, and experience to communicate through my paintings.
In the following years, I returned to New York where I continued to paint while working and raising my family. During that time, my work has been shown in several venues in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
I am now retired, having the joy of seeing my balancing result in a wonderful family with many grandchildren. I live on the Hudson and have finally been able to give myself a studio and time to paint.