NO! Painting

I am a lifelong artist - not widely recognized - not commercial in any sense - but constantly working to produce artwork because it is just what I do. At age 76, after taking care of family and earning a living all my adult life, I am free to pursue my dream and devote most of my time to my artwork! And it is exciting. I have always been recognized for my artistic abilities. In grade school exhibited work at the Columbus Ohio Public School offices and I even did a local TV bit, way back in 1955, showing the print art I had been working on at school. Later, I exhibited a few times at juried Ohio State Fair exhibits, at a local mall and other local exhibits. Although my public career was very limited, I have been creating artwork all my life as an illustrator for newsletters, textbooks, and posters; creating works for charity auctions; lending a hand often as a designer of clothing and a decorator, etc. mostly free for friends, family, and organizations that I support. I have sold a few items over the years to people who offered to buy pieces they liked, but never to earn a living. I did that full time as an epidemiologist and public health professional. Now, I am a retiree with no family in my home to care for, but still with loved ones who need financial help from time to time, including almost a dozen great grandchildren. So I am pursuing my life as an artist to earn money in retirement doing what I love most to help my family - and maybe even buy a golf cart to get around with some day or to see the Northern Lights in Alaska, land of my birth! My creativity has finally found unlimited time and even a little dedicated studio space for which I am most grateful. In addition, at my age, I have a broad perspective on life .... and it really is exciting to have a lifetime of experience to pour into creative expression, using new materials and exploring new concepts as I go! I feel that depth of experience and freedom in my artwork now that I never had before. I like to use mixed media and I experiment with materials, not always using them in traditional ways, sometimes pushing their limits, to capture the essence of varied subject matter and, sometimes abstract compositions to show the emotions of a lifetime of pleasure, love, hardship, and heartache, and all the things we, as human beings experience as we go along our individual paths.