Mesa Watercolor 2

In early Spring of 2006, another sister in my ward (congregation) asked if we could paint together. We tried a number of times to schedule it, and it did not work out. At last we made the effort. Her children played with my children as we sat outside on the back patio and painted together. I began almost half-heartedly. But, I really enjoyed myself because I was not taking this piece seriously. I was just enjoying the freedom to do whatever I wanted. I did not finish this painting in one day, but I enjoyed the result so much I kept working on it. It took some encouragement and feedback from my family members, but I mustered the discipline to finish it and this is now one of my favorite pieces.

Mesa Watercolor 1

For My Birthday in January 2005, my husband gave me a special treat. He signed me up for watercolor classes once a week. He arranged for my sister (a spectacular watercolor artist) to take the classes with me, and he scheduled a babysitter for our children every week. It was the best birthday present ever. I had a great time taking a break from being "Mommy" to be an artist and a sister. One of the pieces I worked on was this watercolor of the Mesa Temple between two palm trees. I was really stretched and educated by the help of my sister as well as the teacher. I gave the original to a sister in my ward (congregation) for a service exchange.

Mesa Temple Drawing

In December of 2004, I had a one year old baby and an almost three year old. My husband was finishing his bachelor's degree while working full time. We lived in a tiny fixer-upper home with a less-than desirable yard. One day, as I played on the swings with my daughter, I pondered how I could help my family's financial situation. My sister-in-law had invited me to sell something at her upcoming open house. However, I didn't know what to sell. I knew I was a good artist, but I also knew that when I spend hours on a piece it is worth way more to me than what anyone at the open house could spend. Finally, I was inspired to make color photocopies to sell. That way, I could afford to sell them at lower prices. I was inspired to use the Temple as my subject matter. I took the children with me to photograph the Temple. Then, while they were napping, I drew using the photos. I knew I had just a short window of time to finish a drawing before they woke up. I knew God had not only inspired me to do this, but was helping me, because I was able to get so much done while they slept. That is how my artwork for sale started.