A lot of people ask me how long I've been painting. The answer is, I've been an artist all my life. As a child, I often loved drawing horses and girls. I studied art all through high school. I have a bachelor's degree in Art from Baker University. During college, I began working in graphic design... before computers. I continued in graphic design and celebrated when our organization bought our first Apple computer. Halleluia for Adobe Illustrator! As a side job, I also began working in a frame shop.
And then I took a detour.
At the time, it didn't seem like a detour; it seemed like I finally had a "real" job. I became an air traffic controller. For the next 25 years, I worked alongside amazing people as we kept the skies safe, and brought you safely home. During my career, I rarely ventured into my creative side, except for the occasional caricature for someone's retirement party.
Two years before my own retirement, I knew that God was calling me back to art. I took a couple of classes at a local art school to brush up on my skills. When I retired in 2015, at the young age of 50, I jumped back into art. But where to land? It was refreshing, but confusing. I loved doing so many things; I didn't know how to focus.
Finally, in 2020, I surrendered to doing the thing that I love: drawing and painting people, specifically faces. (Sometimes we tell ourselves a lie... that no one will want the thing that we love to create. Don't believe it; it's not true.) This weekend you can see some of them at my home studio during the Loveland Art Studio Tour and Sale. Click this link for the address to my studio and all the others too.
And... speaking of detours!
There will be a little (HUGE) air show this weekend at the Loveland airport just north of my house. You might get to see the Blue Angels flying overhead! The show begins at 9am. There will be detours in place because of the show. The biggest impact will be Boyd Lake Ave will be closed. You can still get into my neighborhood from Highway 34 or from the Target shopping area. I will post signs to guide you.
As a former air traffic controller, I love the combination of an art show and air show!
The best time to visit me will be around noon and early afternoon while the air show is in full swing. Or, if you happen to live in High Plains Village or the Lakes at Centerra, just walk or bike over! The weather forecast is beautiful for this weekend ☀️