Art and I loved each other from our first meeting in 7th grade – in my first-ever art class in the small rural community I grew up in.  I gravitated to watercolor, as well as drawing, and in High School, it was my best friend.  In college, I became fickle and broke up with Art as my life partner and spent 40 years in corporate Marketing, piddling with various creative pursuits while being a busy working mom.  When I turned 59 I had an epiphany that drove me to action – that I was more afraid of regret than I was of failure — so I very slowly returned to creating art.  For 5 years I painted as I was able and found that the JOY was still there for me.  In Fall of ’22, I wrapped up my corporate years with the goal of painting “full time”, whatever that looks like for me.  My style is more representational and use of color less certain than I would like, my obsession with florals is never-ending, my love of landscapes enduring, my fascination with still lives, growing.  With FedEx in the rearview mirror, my daughter grown, and living in DC, I am thrilled to be able to balance other caregiving responsibilities with what I see as a second chance to be my most authentic self.  I have so much to learn and do in the name of what I think is my purpose – to create and share beauty.  Being a part of this group will no doubt facilitate this and I look forward to being an active member.