Dream Degree
My first degree was a BA in Liberal Studies, in which I especially enjoyed the Arts & Humanities segment of three disciplines. For fun after graduating, I took art classes for many semesters. Then, one day my husband encouraged me to return to college full time for my “dream degree.” In 2008, I earned a BFA in Art with a concentration in illustration from California State University Fullerton.
Why Art?
Years ago, art became an attractive form of therapy for me. Squeezing, pounding, gluing, painting, molding, drawing, and the feel and smell of art media—all the physical activity is a positive outlet for my emotions and experience. As long as there are miscellaneous art materials, it’s the creative process, not necessarily finishing a piece, that becomes my physical proof of existing . . . like a symbolic receipt to show the world that I exist and am valuable.
It’s a pleasure to help others feel valuable, too. I’ve entered wood, painting, and other competitions at the Los Angeles County Fair for years. Since 2002, the Fair has had the Help Make a Child Smile Competition. The stuffed animals I make for this competition’s “Plush Toy Program” go to pediatric surgical patients of Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center. I usually sew on hearts or paint wooden hearts with the words “God Loves Me” on the stuffed toys I make. The comfort each unknown child might attain from my original stuffed creations always touches my heart.
Fave Medium
Wood is my favorite art medium. My fondness for wood includes its scent, beautiful grain patterns, and the tactile warm quality. The themes of some of my artwork are nature or wildlife and miniature domains. Since I delight in miniature gardening and have tried to grow my own bonsai trees, an ambition is to make charming and small-scale structures out of wood. It usually involves exploring different types of architecture, finding features from various sources I want in the mix, and scaling down the size. Since I’m not an architect of full-size structures, it’s great that I don’t have to worry about building permits and engineering nightmares. Emotionally infusing the hearts of people with joy, surprise, or serenity through miniature environments is my way of sharing art.
Regarding famous artists of structures, I admire Walt Disney’s Storybook Land canal boat ride that journeys through miniature story settings, and also the Greene Brothers who were early 20th Century architects in the American Craftsman Style. An example of their wonderful architecture and woodwork in California is the Gamble House in Pasadena, which has tours that I highly recommend.
Clink the link below to see my art portfolio: