I began painting late in life
after retiring early from Martin Marietta in 1993. I had
never painted before, but wanted to try it. So a year
after I retired, I took an acrylics painting class at
the local Ben Franklin store from Marcy Taylor. My
husband and I were both astonished and pleased when I
returned home after a day of painting with a framed,
finished painting to hang on the wall. After taking a
few more classes from Marcy, I was persuaded by her to
take a seminar from Fred Wetzel, a wonderful wildlife
artist. He inspired me to paint wildlife, introduced me
to watercolors and oils, and has continued to be my
teacher, mentor and friend. I paint mostly Florida
birds, animals, and landscapes, but after a trip to
Africa, I painted an African series from my photographs.
My son, Steve, is a wildlife photographer and now I
paint from some of his wonderful photos. I have
displayed paintings in various venues in Central Florida
and in a nature show in Pennsylvania. I would like to
thank both Marcy and Fred for their encouragement and
patience in teaching me; Steve, for allowing me to paint
from his photographs; and my husband, John, for all the
encouragement and help in my painting, framing, and
displaying efforts. I hope to continue painting and
enjoying wildlife for many years to come.