A closed gallery in January meant a month of painting

I’m lucky to teach at a university that grants a good month of winter break- and for me that’s the time to catch up on painting in the studio. January is also the month I started painting in 1999, when I woke up one morning with an insatiable desire to paint, something I hadn’t done since I was ten. After a month of coaching by my painter friend in NYC, a two-week workshop on botanical illustration, and a determination to paint in every style and medium to prove to myself that I could, I came to rest in the world of abstracts.

Along the way I’ve had a lot of help. My father was an Abstract Expressionist in WNY and loved seeing my progress. My son was a conceptual abstract artist in LA and was a trusted interlocutor on trends and technique. My daughter and I went back and forth for critiques coming from very different styles, detailed illustration on her side, big abstracts on mine. My brothers and family members have become major patrons, only outdone by friends and acquaintances in Ithaca, as well as people I didn’t know who have collected paintings and show them all over the world. Most of all, my husband Jack has been the most supportive partner I could wish for, always encouraging but not afraid to offer suggestions for change.

Moral of the story? If you’re lucky enough to have these circles of support, you can do anything.

I am very lucky.