It’s a long way back to 1962, 1963, and 1964, but I think I spent four to six hours each week painting in the studio during three semesters in my freshman and sophomore years. I think the first semester of my freshman year I was in a drawing class, but not painting. Then, by my junior and senior years, I was taking classes like weaving, jewelry, and printmaking.

Looking back, I wish I had taken more painting classes. Counseling on classes was almost nonexistent; and beyond the required courses, I pretty much took whatever art and literature classes that looked interesting, or even fun!

So, in a nutshell, I mainly saw my painting and other art classes at the University of Missouri as steps toward the goal of becoming a secondary art teacher.

In 1969 I began working on my Masters in Secondary Education, with an emphasis on art, at the University of Missouri in Kansas City (UMKC). I think their art program was stronger than the one at MU, and I spent more time in the art studios. I had classes on anatomical drawing, on techniques of the old masters, and Italian Renaissance Art. I not only drew the human body from life, I learned about muscles and bones. I painted a small copy of an old Italian egg-tempera painting, including making my own gesso and mixing my paints from raw pigments. I also made a small fresco and did a silverpoint drawing. Paired with my art history, those classes were great learning experiences.

And I loved my painting classes. The results may not have been masterful, but I loved the painting process.

For three semesters at UMKC I spent five full days a week on campus, mostly in the Art Department. Homework on the weekends was usually connected to my Education and other required classes.

If I enjoyed painting so much, how could I just stop doing it after I got my Masters degree? With my husband in the Army, my teaching jobs, and frequent moves, there was so much else going on in our lives that there didn’t seem to be any time for painting.

Then more than 35 years later, my husband retired, and we began spending our winters in California.

I soon learned that among the many clubs in our new community, there was an artists group. A good friend from Springfield invited me to a meeting. I joined, but I was a little scared. What if I couldn’t draw or paint after all those years?

After a few weeks or months, I got up the nerve to go to one of the Monday morning classes—just to observe, but a woman participant wouldn’t hear of that! She handed me a small canvas board, a palette knife, a few tubes of paint, and a postcard picture of a flower. She smiled and told me to start painting! The results weren’t great, but they showed potential. I was surprised, and I was relieved.

So, I bought painting supplies and started going to class on a regular basis. Looking back on those first painting efforts is somewhat humbling, but I was having fun!

Each week I carried my supplies back and forth between the classes in the Clubhouse and home. I set up a very small studio in a former laundry room off of the kitchen so I could also paint at home.

I remember the first time I started painting after dinner and painted until about three in the morning. There have been quite a few times like that since.

Now I’m painting for my own pleasure. Of course, it helps that my family loves for me to paint and is always very encouraging.

I also enjoy puzzles like Cryptoquip, Jumble, and crosswords; and, for me, painting is somewhat like working on a puzzle. I work to try to get all parts of the painting to fit well together. Although not every painting effort is successful, over the past several years, I’ve seen progress, and I’ve gained confidence.

It’s been nice to receive some recognitions along the way. The painting group has competitions for Artist of the Month, and, I’ve been delighted to have a painting win a monthly competition each of the last several years. Then, every year in April, monthly winners submit entries for Artist of the Year competition, and I’ve been lucky enough to win that on multiple occasions. In both cases, the winning entries are publicly displayed for the next month. That’s a good feeling!

The painting group hosts an annual art show, which is traditionally well attended. Entries are judged by outside professionals with ribbons going to winners in various categories. In the past several years, I’ve won multiple ribbons in each show, including Best in Show. I have also been recipient of the award given to the artist who, as demonstrated in a voting process, has the entry most favored by AOI members.

But ribbons and awards aren’t the reason I paint.

On PBS Bob Ross talked about the “Joy of Painting,” and I’ve discovered it.