Plum Purdy Drawing

Before retiring, I spent twelve years in North Idaho as a full time, professional water-media artist. During that time, I enjoyed popularity as an instructor of adult classes and workshops in various art media, owned an art school for children, and worked as an Associate Instructor at the University of Idaho, teaching Art Methods for Elementary School Teachers. During my Idaho residence, my paintings were exhibited in over fifty regional, national and international juried exhibitions, winning many awards. Although a move to Canada made exhibiting in the US considerably more difficult and exhibition opportunities in Alberta are extremely limited, I continue to receive invitations to exhibit from the Florence Biennale, Italy, and the Omma Workshops in Greece. My favorite event was being the June, 2004, featured cover artist for the US national publication of the Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association. I began my full-time career as an artist in Calgary in 1989 and in 2004, returned to the point of its original inspiration. In 2014, she received an Honorable Mention from the International Exhibition of Animals in Art, and was included in the artist collection, "International Contemporary Artists". In 2017, I retired from instructional activities in Calgary and moved to a much stronger art community near Nelson, British Columbia. Although my years advance, my love of watercolors remains strong and I continue to seek out opportunities to paint and exhibit my work.