Background

In 1969 I graduated from High School.  It was a small, rural,  high school  in Ohio. They had minimal art class offering.  I took a drawing and a painting class.  There were four students and we met in the Nurse’s office taught by the football coach’s wife.  There were no work tables. So, I created art on one of the two beds used for the sick students.  I like art and had always enjoyed creating.

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I wanted to be a teacher.  I admired most of my teachers and thought that would be a great job.  I applied to a number of colleges.  My grades were good, but not good enough for scholarships.  I played football and basketball good enough to “letter” but not scholarship-qualified.  The affiliation of the church I was attending had a new teacher’s Liberal Arts college in Springfield, Missouri.  Making a long story short, I went there with no idea of what to major in other than “teaching.”  I took a lot of classes. Some were art.  It was the 70’s and teachers “bought in” to the “flower power” age.  They taught very few basics and would encourage the class to just “flow with it.”  One class I took was different.  It was watercolor painting class and taught by a successful local watercolor artist. I enjoyed it.  He taught some basics and did not subscribe to the “hippy culture.”  By the time I finished four years of college and two years of  summer school I had enough credits to teach Social Studies and Visual Art.  That was 1973.  I applied for teaching jobs .  I got an offer from a high school from a small pottery town in southeast Ohio.  I thought it was a Social Studies teacher position.  When I arrived to teach, it changed to an Art teacher position.  I showed up at my art room facing 18 students eager to paint pretty craft pieces from molded plaster (local pottery provided all the plaster needed).  From there I transitioned the art program into one which was varied and emphasized the basics.  I taught art four years, two in high school and two in middle school. During this time I got married and had a child.  I quickly realized teaching would not support a family very well. 

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I moved to Kansas and was hired by The Boeing Company, and put art in my past.  I grew. professionally, at Boeing and found myself on the Fast Track for executive development.  They paid for my Master’s degree in Management. Because of my creativity, I was involved in many innovation projects.

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I was representing Boeing in industry meetings and symposiums on the topic of Innovation with Quality Improvement. I was recruited by a consulting firm.  From then until 9 years ago, I Consulted with companies all over North America.  At the end of 2015 I found my self “burned out” with travel and took a year off. 

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I often reflected on how much I enjoyed watercolor painting and should give it a try.  I viewed a few YouTube videos and figured out what materials I would need.  I had the brushes, paint and paper ready but I couldn’t get myself to start.  I searched the web and found a teacher  who was teaching watercolor painting and called.  Sharon Hauser (later became Surrency) answered.  Within one week I was in Sharon’s basic watercolor class.  I soaked up all  the instruction I could.  I was “hooked”.  I took more of her classes. And an advanced class from Mal Surrency.  I painted a few barns and some flowers.  I began painting six to ten hours a day, everyday.

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I tried painting people and liked it.  I painted elderly people.  I liked the texture on the wrinkled  skin and guys with beards. Most of my subjects are people.  I devote most of my painting time painting portraits of people who interest me.

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That year I entered a painting in Florida Water Color Society (FWS) Annual Membership Show at their annual convention.  I was accepted (surprise).   Ted Nuttell, a well-known watercolor artist was the judge.  I signed up for his class which preceded the convention.  I loved it.  The timing was perfect because I was ready to be challenged.  He did.  I took three more classes from him.  That experience totally changed my approach to watercolors and how  I paint today.