Websites

Http://ArtApprenticeOnline.com

 

Http://www.NeadeenMasters.com

There was never any doubt. My family knew I was going to be an artist when I grew up. My mother said she knew the moment I painted my crib that interesting shade of Umber!! I am passionate about painting; I've always been told I had a natural talent for it.  While girls my age were playing Nancy Sinatra records and painting their nails, I was working along with our 'yard man' helping him 'paint' my mothers flower beds with tropical colors. I remember asking my father to drag home an old fishing boat which had washed up on a nearby beach, the bottom rotted out like a hole in a donut. I saw the aesthetic potential and had it meticulously positioned in our garden, set it at just the right angle and proceeded to fill it with soil and plant flowers in it! I was just ten at the time.
Elementary and high school years were spent at a Catholic Convent and my mentors were an Irish Nun and my literature teacher. They both instilled in me a clear understanding that true success was from doing something I was passionate about.

I began selling my work at the age of eleven.  Private and business commissions paved the way to opening a small retail shop immediately after graduation.  My goal had been to attend the 'Ringling school of Art' in Sarasota Florida; but instead, an entrepreneurial spirit took me in another direction. By the time I was married I had already opened two studio-shops in two countries. Though small, they planted in me, the desire for a future career in art. 

After marriage and two children I also developed another interest, building reproduction primitive furniture. I learned a lot during that period, it gave me an opportunity to delve into woodworking and explore it as another art form.  Eventually I found a way to combine my painting with furniture and another business venture was soon growing. I continued this for several years until a very close encounter with moving blades sent me to hospital for stitches on both hands.  I retired the power tools to focus more on painting.  Regardless of the subject I emerged myself in it and learned through experimentation. I took commissioned work which allowed me to expand these skills.

I always seemed to be a little ahead of my time and my next venture confirmed this. It was the mid eighties. I invested several months in writing and creating the outline for a television series. It was a 'Do it yourself' styled series focusing on creativity and interior decorating. The proposal for the new show caught the eye of a local television producer and he sent it higher up the 'food chain' for consideration.  After many months of deliberation and discussion, it did not come to fruition; it was thought there was no demand for 'do it yourself' styled programming! If only we had hindsight!  I learned a lot from that experience too, and used my 'business formula' to open the first of its kind in our home town. A Home based business which focused on teaching weekly classes to women who loved anything creative AND enjoyed decorating their homes. Ten years later in the mid nineties the original concept of the home studio evolved again into a retail art shop at another location. The new location was anything but perfect and I called it the rose between many thorns. Despite the poor location, within two years we had a student roster of 700 students and were running 13 art classes per week. Country Carousel was a little bee-hive of fun and creative energy.
 
Teaching, staffing and running the little shop became a full time job for several individuals including myself, but even so, I began studying within the Certification Program from the Society of Decorative Painters.  This program is a self-directed educational program which propelled me in the direction of art education. I attended their annual painting conventions across the USA and after five and a half years of hectic retail, I decided to take the business back home to the quiet of a Home Studio setting. I have since passed three of the four Certification exams and am preparing for the final leg of this journey. I presently travel teach and hold seminars at my Studio several times a year.

As my endeavors have included a longtime interest in interior design, I've also attended trade and gift shows across Canada; freelanced as a 'decorator', painted small murals for a few restaurants and numerous private homes, and designed displays for offices and retail stores.  
In 2004 I was invited by David Jansen MDA to join himself and six other artists to develop and co-author an Educational Program for artists.  This has been an exciting journey for me and has allowed me to work with seven skilled artists on a very honorable project; it has allowed me to give back to the art community through education and has reinforced my original artistic goals.