Honoring the Everday Artist.

There are world famous artist, and even locally noted artist and then there is the every day artist who is not pretentious who does not seek fame or notoriety, but who loves doing art for the sake of doing art. And that is my life time friend Ann. I have known her since we were young teachers, before marriage and before the birth of her talented son, Chris(check out his blog Doodles on my blog list), and before retirement and the care taking of aged parents. Our lives have intertwined and we are more family than friends. But as much as any famous artist Ann, has influenced me. Her love of art, her talent, the ease that she moves from one media to another. There are many artist out there like my friend, who seek nothing more than the enjoyment of doing art. They are as talented many artist I see in shows and galleries and museums, but they do not choose to be there. They only choose to do art for the love of doing art.

Ann's work is fun, it is loving, and humorous often. She taught a career as a high school art teacher, as an unsung hero of herding teenagers into a room, getting there hard won attention, and teaching them art. She was much loved by her students, all the while being a Mom and wife. It is the everyday heroes we all forget in this world, we are so attuned to fame these days. The Hiltons, the Kardasians, and 15 minute famers. Ann can go from clay to watercolor, to acrylic to floor painting, to painting her shows curtains and stained glass all with the greatest of ease. It amazes me and always has. I had cups and sugar bowls she threw for me years ago that sit in my cabin in Asheville North Carolina. I have a wonderful male Christmas angel with a black mustache that still makes me laugh. I have a wonderful clay and cloth animal/person doll she made me years ago that I still cherish. I will share more of Ann's work later. These images were from her garden, a magic garden. Lets sing the praises of the Everyday Artist!