"Chatty Cacti" Painting

Artist's Biographical Statement: The spiritual connection that Kashka has with nature is derived from the earliest years of her childhood, when she lived off the land, on her grandfather's old"timer's homestead, in upstate New York. She spent the years hunting, fishing, and foraging the woods for berries, nuts, and fruit. Many places she visited were the orchards and gardens planted by her ancestors, centuries before. She observed the life cycle of the pristine forest and it's inhabitants with the curiosity and open mind and heart of a child. As a young adult, living and working in South Florida, she learned about the convolutions of human nature. She recognized the responsibility that people have toward each other in our interdependent society and observed that many people are oblivious to anything outside themselves. As a current resident of the Southwest, her artwork represents a combination of ideals, where humanity coexists favorably with nature and takes responsibility for our natural and manmade environments. Artist's Biographical facts: Kashka was born in 1956, in a small city in upstate NY. In 1959, her mother was studying art. She taught Kashka to draw and color to keep her quiet and out of the way. Kashka attended elementary schools in the city, until 1962. She went to with her mother and three-siblings to a suburb, when her parents separated. In 1966, her oldest brother, acting father left home. She moved with two-siblings and her mother to a farm town, where her Great Uncle, became her "Grandfather". She attended school where she created art that was highly appreciated and allegedly taken to the New York State Archives. In 1968, she saw her youngest brother hit by a car and killed. Her paternal grandmother died and oldest brother went to the policing action in Viet Nam. In 1969, her grandfather died. In 1970, her sister, acting mother became a foreign exchange student and her paternal grandfather died. In 1971, her home was destroyed in a blizzard. Her mother left town. Kashka stayed at a neighboring farmhouse until she graduated from the eighth-grade, but was not allowed to register for high school, because of homelessness and lack of guardianship, thereby, becoming a "drop-out". In 1972, she found work in factories in Broward County, Florida. In 1974, she was married and divorced in 1981. she and her husband lived in Florida, except for a year and a half in Georgia, where their car broke down.