Carol Anderson
As a child I received a paint-by-number set for my birthday. I was thrilled to have the paints and brushes but the canvas with all the little numbers was a problem. I promptly turned it over and painted some apples on the clear side. My Dad framed it and took it with him every time he moved. He encouraged me.
In Chicago, I went to the Art Institute on Saturday mornings during my 7th grade year. Ricky Strusener and I took the El downtown to our art lesson in a big auditorium, after which we wandered the halls of Art in awe. I loved Monet’s Haystacks! But I never took an art class after that.
I married a young academic and we had three lovely children and 1 PhD by 30 years of age. We all traveled thousands of miles across the USA and Europe, living for 8 months in Communist Poland in 1977. Eventually I graduated from college and taught High School English. Then one day I found again the thrill of paint and paper. This time I had a marvelous instructor, Rose Edin, who encouraged me to continue with watercolor. Her workshop changed my life and I have been painting ever since. It does my heart good to see the splash of color on paper and my mind good to solve the problems that each painting presents. There is no age limit for painting.
Jane Hirshfield
“Begin again the story of your life.”