By Marie Garafano, Pen Woman in Art
I always wanted to be an artist, although I admit not truly knowing what that meant when I was younger. I went to art school and pursued a practical career in graphic design and illustration.
Publishers and corporate clients hired me. For example, I illustrated a children's book for Houghton Mifflin Publishers called Ginger Goes on a Diet, a book about a foster child and her cat, Ginger.
Yet, I always yearned to paint. In fact, when freelance work was slow, I would go out painting on my own. Now, when I look at my early paintings, I laugh. There was so much I didn't know.
When I moved to Florida, I saw an exhibit of Plein Air painting.(Plein Air is painting on site, outdoors.) That was it—I loved it!
My lifelong dream materialized, making it possible for me to paint with various groups and take workshops and instruction from award-winning artists. I recall thinking—more than once—while painting, “ I can’t believe I am already this age and I don't know this?”
In summary, what I have come to realize through the years is that we are never finished learning. What a pleasure it is to keep honing our craft!