Inspiring Women Winter 2017

Jack’s beanstalk seed had sprung
to life; I couldn’t get enough of the
wonderful colors and how they
worked together on paper to help
you—encourage you—to create a
thing of beauty. My stack of
practice paintings just grew and
grew as I finally learned to control
the pigments enough to have a say
in where they went!
I work at home, and occasionally at
a friend’s studio. In Rome a few
years ago I learned to do
decoupage on glass, which I find
very satisfying and beautiful. I have
so far only completed a few pieces,
but plan to continue.
“ Flowers II”
My inspiration to paint and sculpt, and now decoupage, definitely came from within. The
urge to do something artistic was something that I had subconsciously felt for many years
before it rose to the surface. I remain grateful to Mary and Ed Mag for introducing me to
Manlio, and to him for being so encouraging. My longing to delve into watercolors was not a
new one, and once I had the opportunity to do so, I jumped in. The same was true of
decoupage; the moment I saw it, I wanted to learn to do it myself.
I think what has surprised me the most is how many talented artists there are, whether here or
in Italy, whether amateurs, as I am, or professionals. I am also surprised at how difficult it
sometimes is to maintain the discipline one must to progress. And I am amazed at just how
truly gifted some painters are. It is truly a gift from a higher power, as far as I am concerned. I
cannot claim to have created anything important, but I have done some paintings and
decoupage pieces that give me great joy
when I look at them and realize it was I who
created them!
While I do not sell my paintings or pieces, I did
have the pleasure of donating a copy of a
painting to a fundraising auction for FAUSA’s
grant program. The final bid was, to me, a
remarkable amount of money for something I
had done! I believe that my greatest
achievement in my own artistic world was
realizing that I had a modicum of talent and
breaking through the barrier of self-doubt that
kept me from approaching watercolors much
earlier and, later, decoupage.
As well as my artistic life I have been an active
part of the FAWCO world for many years both
within my club and the wider organization. In
AWAR, which I joined in 1980, I have been the
FAWCO Rep; the chair of various committees;
board member in various capacities, including
Parliamentarian and president. In FAUSA, I’ve
been Parliamentarian, chair of bylaws
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