EARLY INFLUENCES
 
Ever since I can remember, I've wanted to be an artist. At the age of four,
I recall sitting on the floor drawing sketches of chickens from my mother's backyard pen on backs of my dad's wallpaper samples.
In first grade, my teacher found that I had talent, and sat me at the back of the room making drawings and posters. During elementary school,
I won awards for my posters in various contests.
 
Later on, in sixth grade, I made drawings of pets, selling them to
classmates for 25 cents each. In junior high, my watercolor of a barn in a large field won first place.
 
There were no art classes in high school, but Mrs. Day, the business teacher, sponsored the yearbook and the weekly newspaper, "Tiger Tales."
She kept me busy with pen and ink cartoons for the newspaper and sketches for the yearbook. Also, in high school, the Women's Club sent me to summer art camp at Lake Decatur.
 
My dad encouraged my art by enrolling me in a mail-order commercial art course. As a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF), he arranged for my first commission to paint a landscape mural for the
Odd Fellows Lodge in Grandview, Illinois, and he bought a wooden carrying case of oil paints, which I continued to use in college.


 
 TRAINING AS AN ARTIST
 
 In 1950, upon graduation from Paris (IL) High School, I was awarded a
four-year scholarship to Eastern Illinois State Teachers College
(now Eastern Illinois University). I earned both a bachelor's and master's degree there. Carl Shull was my painting instructor, and my courses in education earned me a teaching certificate.
 
I began my teaching career in 1954 in Villa Grove, Illinois, elementary school, and in 1955, I accepted a position as art supervisor for the Charleston, Illinois, Community Unit #1 Public schools.
 
Later, in 1961, I became an art instructor at Eastern Illinois University Laboratory School, and later became Professor of Art in Eastern Illinois University's art education department where I taught for 30 years until retiring in 1991. During that time, I continued my art education by taking painting with Professor Foster at University of Illinois along with additional art education courses, and I took a sabbatical to complete my studies at Illinois State University, earning a doctor's degree in art education.
 
As a life-long learner, I have continued my interest in learning different painting techniques by taking art workshops at various locations.
In Hawaii and at University of Illinois, I studied Sumi-e, the Japanese style
of oriental ink painting from internationally renowned artist Shozo Sato.
While taking workshops at University of Minnesota-Duluth,
I continued studying oriental brush painting from internationally
recognized master of Chinese ink painting Lok Tok.
At The Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois, I focused on scientifically accurate botanical illustration painting techniques with Ann Pember and Kate Nessler.
For painting portraits, animals and landscapes more realistically,
Joe Fettingis taught me his techniques at several of his workshops at
Turkey Run State Park in Indiana.
In addition, I spent several summers learning realistic watercolor
techniques from both Bridget Austin and Laurin McCracken at
Dillman's Art Workshop Retreats in Wisconsin.
To experiment with a different medium, I took a workshop in
Costa Rica with acrylic artist Robert Burridge.