Ever since I can remember, drawing and painting has held a place in my soul. Being honest with myself and the reality of pursuing fine art as a career, (I had no desire to be a starving artist) I enrolled at the “Burnley School of Professional Art.
After graduating it was suggested I relocate to an area of the country with a larger advertising presence. Seattle was still a relatively small city. I did not want to move away from friends and family so I resigned myself to the fact that art would be one of my hobbies.
When life, marriage, children, full time job, etc. became of paramount importance, (this is a repeating theme amongst many artists) I put away the paints and tended to the task at hand. Forty years later retired, and with lots of time to spare, it was my time to get back in to something I had always loved doing and that was painting.
I have painted in all different mediums but watercolor was what I had finished with 40 years earlier so that is what I decided to jump back in with.
Choosing Sedona as a place to retire was a perfect fit for me. Artists abound and classes are abundant. I do not believe you ever stop learning. And lest I forget, the magic of the landscape and light found in the Southwest is inspiration for us all.
My Plein Air experience is limited to a local group of artists that venture out Tuesday Mornings, to various locations around the Sedona area. I have brought my paints and paper on a few trips when visiting family in Maine and Pennsylvania.
