|
|
One of my
remembrances growing-up on West Wayne Street in Maumee, Ohio was
watching Mom spend innumerable hours in the back sewing room
teaching herself to paint subjects which she held fondest. Her
earliest endeavors were entirely done using oil paint. She belonged
to a few painting associations in and around the Toledo, Ohio area,
participated in occasional workshops and regularly took lessons one
night per week. I never paid a great deal of attention to the
particulars of her efforts but marveled at her progress and
achievements. She went on to entering shows and put her works on
display in various places. One I remember was St. Luke’s Hospital in
Toledo.
Eventually she
began to bring home ribbons and started getting a considerable
amount of consignment painting work. Her focus centered around
landscapes, seascapes, portraits, florals, pet animals, and local
historic places. I recall her complaining about the number of times
she was hired to paint the abandoned Waterville bridge. She quit
doing that one after she had done it over 30 times. I suspect that
she would have loved to have had access to giclee printing
technology.
At about the
mid-point of her career in painting, she switched to watercolor and
never went back to oils. It seemed as though she became proficient
in this medium very quickly, becoming an accomplished watercolor
artist within a few years.
Mom and Dad
spent much of their winters near Cedar Key in Florida where she
displayed and sold many of her later watercolors. During the last
few years of her life, she and Dad spent their winters in the
Phoenix, Arizona area close to my brother, sister and their
children. She continued to paint throughout the final years of her
life. Many of her paintings are presently held by a wide variety of
individuals as well as her children, grandchildren and
great-grandchildren.
Displayed here,
are just a sampling of her works in her memory, for those
interested, to see and enjoy. I have also added some names for them
that I deemed appropriate in order to give them something of an
anchoring effect and enhancement.
Bob Pauken |
|