When I was small and visited my father’s office, his box of colored pencils fascinated me. There were at least seventy-five pencils representing all the colors of the rainbow. My father was a graphic designer and my first teacher. He taught me to draw using graphite.
In art school, I drew in graphic or charcoal but never had a class on color. Many years later I moved into my current home and was inspired to try colored pencil by the colorful wallpaper in my new dining room. I found a wonderful teacher, Pat Barron, who opened the world of colored pencil to me. I was hooked. Layering colors with colored pencils is exciting. It sends a thrill through me to see my work turn into something glorious.
Recently, I went to my first colored pencil exhibition. Everyone enjoyed the camaraderie in the unique environment surrounding the exhibition. I’m not so concerned if my work is not accepted for the next exhibition (even though I can’t believe that the juror will turn down my portrait of my husband with Elvis Presley). I just plan to go.
