I began painting in 2017, after retiring from 25 years of teaching middle and high school. I’ve always been creative, and I feel like I get sustenance from working with bright strong colors. Prior to teaching I was a quilter. I used strong solid colors in my quilts and hand quilted all of them. I stopped quilting when I began teaching and by the time I retired I wanted a deeper interaction with color, mixing it and learning about it on a deeper level than working with fabric allowed. I took a painting class at Butte College with Simone Senat. I had discovered her work online prior to retirement, and when I discovered that she taught painting I promised myself a class with her after I finished teaching.
I am always trying new things in the studio. Gel printing, paintings on paper and on canvas, color mixing and new tools all keep me interested. I love to paint with my younger grandchildren. I give them a canvas and some paint and let them go. I teach them only things like color mixing, how to use various tools and mediums and how to clean up after themselves. The rest is their own. They are members of Chico Art Center and have submitted their work to the puzzle show and the Small Works shows. I think that being in touch with one’s creativity can be a balm in troubled times, and I want these young people to have that to fall back on when things get rocky and confusing as they grow up.
This is my first time doing the Open Studios Art Tour. I hope to meet and share my art with lots of you!
