ARTIST (ar'tist) n. 1. a) one who practices an art in which conception and execution are governed by imagination, style, and taste. b) a person skilled in one of the fine arts. c) a craftsman that executes his art with individual style.

It's a courageous thing to describe yourself to the world and your family and friends as an"artist." Take the leap of faith , and define yourself that way. Pursue creativity as if life depended on it!

• Please Close this Page to Return to Home Page •

To Contact Shirle enter this in your email address bar: obedient2@mac.com




My experience has led me to believe that one aspect that defines creativity and being an artist is change. I can remember "creating" even as a very young child. I have the scar to prove that you can't really re-carve a wooden train into something else. Then in elementary school I was challenged to do a self portrait using only my fingers to trace the shape of my face and features. That portrait is lost but im my mind at least, it was amazing.

As an adult I practiced my art with pen and ink sketches of botanicals, and experimenting with acrylics on canvas... but then I took a watercolor class. In the early 1980's I began using watercolor to wash over the pen and ink drawings and realized I was ready for a new change. Pure watercolor painting and the challenges it presented became my only focus for many years. Over a three year period I logged in a 1000 hours of study with a number of locally and nationally known artists whose work I admired. During that time I was fortunate to find a very special group of three other women with whom I met weekly. Each of us worked at perfecting our own unique style and even more importantly, we encouraged each other. That encouragement along with the detailed lesson plans I'd done for classes I was teaching at the time led me to submit a book proposal to Walter Foster, Inc. In 1991 they published a book of my work in watercolor. That book is now out of print but still available through Amazon.com.

But life isn't static and neither is creativity. I discovered that I also loved the saturated dense color that pastel and acrylic could give and the excitement of creating collage and assemblage pieces with items the rest of the world (including my husband) would call junk. And now I've discovered colored pencils! I've had the challenge, frustration and exhiliration of exploring all those things. Sprinkled in there were a couple of long-distance moves which brought with them other new experiences of creativity…like helping to build our house and having to find a niche in a new art place and new ways to pass it on. In the past few years that "passing it on" has come through teaching volunteer art classes at the local Christian school and being Artist-in-Residence at Ottawa Park in Cheboygan, MI.

Exhibits and Awards

• One Person Show, July, 2009, The Gildner Gallery, Cheboygan, MI
• Three Person Exhibit, October 26 - November 30, 2001, Lake County Administration Building,
Tavares, Florida.
• $300 Award, Pastel Society of North Florida, April, 2000
• One person exhibit - Atlanta , February, 1998
• Ehibitor, Atlanta - January - March, 1998
• One person exhibit - Barnes & Noble, Atlanta, Georgia August, 1997
• Group exhibit of Bedient Tour to Cornwall, England, Century College, Minnesota, August, 1997
• Group exhibit of Bedient Tour to Cornwall, England, Atlanta, September, 1997
• Georgia Arts '96 - A juried group exhibit in the Olympic Ring
• Atlanta Artists' Club Botanical Garden Exhibit - Best In Show, January 1996
• The Art Place, Marietta, Georgia, 8 Person Show 1996
• Iris Art Gallery, Lindstrom, MN, 6-week exhibit of American/English Artwork from September, 1995 Bedient tour to England, Nov. 10- Dec. 31, 1995
• Two Person Exhibit, Artists' Atelier of Atlanta, October, 1995
• Fine Art Society of Kennesaw Fall Show, Second and Third Place Awards, October 1995
• Group Exhibit of Bedient Tour to English Lakes, Iris Art Gallery, Minneosta, 6-Weeks, Nov. 1995
• Atlanta Artists' Club Traveling Show, March-October, 1995
• Fine Art Society of Kennesaw, Winter Show, First Place Award, January, 1995
• Fine Art Society of Kennesaw, Fall Show, Second and Third Place Awards, September, 1994
• Easdale, Isle of Seil, Scotland, individal exhibit , Spring, 1994
• Iris Art Gallery, Lindstrom, MN, 6-week group show, Scottish and American artists from Bedient tour to Isle of Arran, Scotland, August, 1993
• Published Artwork in Billy Graham magazine "Decision," April 1993 issue
• Iris Art Gallery, Lindstrom, MN, 6-week group show, English and American artist from Bedient tour to England, January/February, 1992
• Northstar Watercolor Show, Second Place award April, 1992
• State Fair Juried Art Exhibit, September, 1991
• Northern Lights Watercolor, juried members show, March, 1991
• Lakewood Community College, individual month-long show, April 1990
• Lakeshore Players Theatre Gallery, individual month-long show, February, 1990
• Iris Art Gallery, Lindstrom, MN, individual month-long show, May 1990
• Phipps Center for the Arts, Hudson, WI, two person month-long show, May, 1990
• Phipps Center for the Arts, Hudson, WI, juried members exhibition, August, 1990, Second Place award
• Phipps Center for the Arts, juried members show, Honorable Mention 1989
• Twin City Watercolor Society - First Place award, 1984