Like many artists, I began drawing at a young age. I developed my talent on my own through high school and upon entering Brigham Young University in 2010 I planned to apply for the art program. Disappointed by the modernist approach to art I experienced in my prerequisite courses, I turned away from art to instead study history during my four years at the university. In 2011, after discovering the The Center For Academic Study and Naturalist Painting (CAS) in Springville, Utah I began my studies, as one hoping to increase my skills in something I loved, not as one planning on pursuing art as a career.
Each summer however, as I returned to study art after finishing my other university courses, I began to perceive that the rigors of this study,following the naturalist tradition, combined my innate artistic craft with the dedication of mental concentration. During my final semester of undergraduate studies, I committed myself to continuing my studies in art, aspiring to become an artist after the tradition of 19th century naturalist painters. I worked part time each morning to pay for my education since my husband was also still a student. Fortunately, CAS director Ryan Brown offered me a teaching scholarship where I gave critiques for students in the drawing program three days a week and occasionally ran the evening open figure drawing classes. I was also blessed to be one of the three winners of the 2015 CAS Paint En Plein Air Student Competition and to receive third place in the 2015 Annual Art Renewal Center Scholarship.
So... what am I going to do in Poland? As an artist, I’ll obviously paint--A LOT. Now that I have concluded my formal education at the academy, this is a critical time as I transition from student to professional artist. I hope that my readers will enjoy hearing about this adventure, along with my other adventures around Poland (and hopefully other parts of Europe)!
