BRUSH Classes and Painting Parties

eliever - come to one of my BRUSH classes. About ME: Back in the 1970’s my interest in painting started as a restorative outlet for relaxation and a stress relief when I was going through some tough times. I studied under Betty Riggs, a well-known local artist. Riggs was commissioned to paint portraits of many famous personalities, most notably, Frank Sinatra. When I first began to paint with Betty, I could barely draw a straight line. The first painting that Betty guided me through was very rudimental, but when completed; appeared to be quite difficult to a novice’s eye. I was working with oil paints and I dedicated much of my work in the oil medium to seascapes, still life, and flowers until I finally graduated to portraiture. Over the next decade, I continued my studies and eventually dabbled in watercolor, only to return to my old favorite, oils. During the 1980’s I stopped painting on canvas and turned my talents to painting faces. I became a professional makeup Artist/cosmetologist. I worked the pageant circuit, covering Philadelphia and South Jersey enhancing the beauty and confidence of young bright women for over a decade, teaching them cosmetic application. In the 1990’s I began rehabbing and renovating historic buildings and refurnishing antique pieces. My first project involved glazing glass, painting balusters, stenciling walls, and designing the interiors and outside gardens. I once hand stenciled a floral design on an antique claw-foot bathtub utilizing Alkyd-Enamel ceramic paints. I utilized design and color to dictate the mood from floor to ceiling, and tell the stories of my spaces. With research I also married the appropriate flowers and trees to the period of the home. The goal of this extensive restoration was achieved – an old dilapidated colonial and Victorian home was transformed into one of the Jersey Shore’s finest bed and breakfasts. The home that was once crumbling beneath my feet, just a breath away from collapse became my blank canvas. With the love of my family, and a heaping cup of creativity, I brought it back to its original glory for the community and its visitors. I spent two years giving the old building a new life and ran it as a small business for eight more. I taught classes at the old Inn which included; stenciling; making holiday items, sewing, creating soft dolls, as well as making napkin rings and window hardware to keep my creative juices flowing. I retired from this labor of love in the mid- 2000’s. For several years I placed my artistic endeavors on the back burner, but I have returned to my love of painting –this time with acrylics. With encouragement of a close friend I decided to share my forty years of experience and knowledge. I have over two hunded fifty paintings to choose from in my repertoire and constantly create new ones on a daily basis. So here we are.