California Association of Porcelain Artists, Inc.

CAPA’s 2010 Honored Artist, Wow. I thank the show committee for honoring me this year. I’ve loved the art for a long time and being involved in the CAPA organization has meant a great deal to me. I feel privileged to know so many wonderful people up and down California and into Nevada. I look forward to seeing them whenever possible and appreciate them for letting me share tears as well as joys these past twenty plus years.

I was born on a Colorado farm in the same 3-room house as my father was born (no indoor utilities). Every Sunday after church we’d go to one set of grandparent’s house or the other for dinner. They lived nine miles apart. Both grandmothers used large pretty dishes for serving. These dishes were from oatmeal boxes, bags of flour, or other store items. I guess that was my introduction to pretty, different shaped dishes. We moved to California just after Pearl Harbor. I loved school, doodled on everything, and took only college prep classes. Only other choice was Home Ec but cooking has never, and is not now, my first love. There was no college money available so I took a crash course in shorthand, went to work, got married and had four kids. My thrifty mom taught me how to sew, quilt, crochet and knit. I still enjoy doing all those things. Being involved with the kids and their activities made the years fly by. I don’t remember yearning to china paint even though I inherited some of old pieces which I treasured. In the mid-1970's my empty nest feeling beginning to set in. I saw Porcelain Painting listed in an Adult School mail out. A beginner class would be starting in September. I eagerly signed up, paid my money and had a lengthy list of people to paint Christmas presents for. What a joke. Haven’t seen my first piece in awhile but I think it is still an UFO. I met classmates JoAnn Silence, Lola Garth and Mary Mooneyham, to name a few. They made it look easy then and still inspire me to keep trying. With friends like that how can you help but get involved in CAPA. There have been many "no-painting-time" stretches over the years so I still consider myself a beginner. I am never ready for class time or seminars to be over. I enjoy every minute of trying, still have pieces to finish, a husband who lets me mess up the house with wet things sitting around, and china painting friends I cherish. For all of this I am truly thankful and honored.