I was fortunate to spend my childhood in rural Virginia in the sixties. I spent countless hours in the shade of ancient oaks with my younger brother, a few dogs, and whatever wild creature would come our way. The elderly lady who lived next door had no running water in her house and only a few naked light bulbs hung from the ceiling. She cooked on a wood stove, drank water from a dipper in a bucket by the door, heated a few rooms of the aging homeplace with a pot-bellied stove, pieced countless quilts on her push-peddle Singer, and was (and is) a source of wonder for me. How mesmerizing it was to witness the gathering and processing of walnuts, apples, and garden vegetables. What a feast for the eyes to look across our yard to her heirloom flower garden. A quilt frame still stood in an unused room of her home. It was easy to imagine Mrs. Wagoner and her daughters sitting around the frame, quilting and talking away the long dark hours of winter.

Those days were filled with sights, sounds, and smells that are rarely envisioned, much less enjoyed, today. Perhaps because of these experiences, I developed a keen appreciation for tranquility, shadow, light, and nature—especially animals.

Over the years, my fascination with art and craftsmanship lead me to one class or workshop after another. After graduating from college as a teacher, I began painting landscapes in oil and also spent time tole painting. I illustrated a cookbook of the Collinsville Junior Woman’s Club in the 80s and designed logos for school spirit campaigns  and local businesses. When the trajectory of my preschool-age son began to intersect with my wet oil paintings, I “gave it up” for a while. (I had painted the head of a Simmental bull as part of a sign for my dad’s farm. Derrick thought it was neat the way his rubber-tipped arrow made perfect little circles alllllll over the bull’s head.)

About that same time, I took a delightful career detour and became a writer and editor of teacher publications—an endeavor that gave me a steady outlet for my artistic tendencies. About 1990, I enrolled in a drawing class at a Texas university and started one of my favorite projects—a pen-and-ink carousel horse—among several works. More recently, I studied under Barbara Skivington of Faux Works (High Point). In her classes I learned how to achieve dimensional looks using layered laser-cut stencils and how to create many high-end faux painting effects. My home (and those of relatives) has served as a canvas for many projects. Recently, I’ve begun painting at The Art House under the guidance of Jack Stone. To my surprise, the eclectic hodge-podge of art experiences I’ve had has sufficiently equipped me to paint subjects that strike my fancy.

I recently earned a MEd in Curriculum and Instruction from UNCG and returned to teaching. One of my favorite pastimes is to roam the piedmont or the mountains, going from gallery to gallery, or from studio to studio soaking in the beauty of hand-wrought art. This summer I visited both the Penland School and James Campbell Folk School.