“Dreams are the stepping stones of our lives”

A life long dream for Dorothy has been to study art, learn to paint and be an artist when she retired. In 1989 she had some surgery that made her decide that it was time to enroll at Vance Granville Community College to pursue her dream. After college she went to Burlington, NC and stayed with her aunt at least 4 days a week for about a year and studied extensively with Sharon Ross. Sharon is a leading floral artist. From many years of culinary and floral artistry (designer), and special events, wedding and bridal consultant/director, Dorothy has now, with her unlimited energy and ability, evolved into an accomplished fine arts artist.

Dorothy is certified by Grumbacher and Winsor Newton and a member of T.E.A.M. (Teachers and Educators of Art Materials). She teaches both adults and children. Because of her late start in art, since she first picked up her brush her primary interest has been on children and beginners. Her dedication to children has taken them from local, district, region to national winners with one national first place winner. Since age ten, Dorothy’s granddaughter, Jenni, has been painting with her and wins in all competitions she enters. In 1997 she traveled with Sharon Ross to Italy and taught children’s art class at S.M. Pascoli (school) in Torre Annunziata, Italy. Dorothy’s instruction is detailed teaching theory, anatomy, perspective, creative drawing and composition.

According to Dorothy, once you begin to paint you will never look at God’s beautiful world the same again. You will always look for the lights and darks, highlights and shadows, the bark on the tree, clouds, water reflections, sunrises and sunsets. They will be more beautiful than ever. “I have a five year old grandson who all his life has wanted to go to the lake just to watch the sunrise over the water, winter and summer and calls to everyone in the house to watch the sunrise. One morning there was a fog over the lake and he said ‘Nana, God is playing a trick on me this morning, I can’t see the sun.”

In addition to winning numerous ribbons and awards at local art shows, her art has taken her all across the country to study with other master artists such as Brenda Harris, Sharon Ross, Este Rayle, Valerie Stewart, Donna Bryant Waterson, Jerry Yarnell, David Weaver, Claudia Nice, Robert Warren, Dorothy Dent, James Gleeson, Diane Wallace. Dorothy was instrumental in coordinating the children’s art show and exhibiting the art work of all the children of Henderson, Vance County, N.C. for a number of years with Grassroots grant funds as prize money and support of Kerr Lake Art Society.

Dorothy’s vision is to teach students that anyone can paint. She has a positive attitude and tries to teach as many children as she can and expose them to art and help them find the art within themselves and be able to put it on paper or canvas.

Subject Matter: Floral, Landscapes, Rural Scenes, Nature, Wildlife, Pet Portraits, Home Portraits, Still Life and Portraits

Medium:   Oils, Watercolor, Oils Pastels, Acrylic, Water Cleanup Oils, Theorem

Dorothy is currently teaching at Vance Granville Community College