Art & Crafts

Welcome!

 

Here is little history about my start in the arts…

 

A Painter: I have begun another chapter in my life. I have started painting seriously since the beginning of 2015. I am mostly self-taught although I have taken drawing classes and a few painting classes to help with my new love of the fine art of painting.

 

I enjoy impressionistic paintings although I have not settled on any one style or form personally. I have been focusing on oil's but watercolor is just as fascinating. The subjects I currently choose for my paintings are to help me learn different techniques.

 

A Quilter: I have been quilting since around 1990. I had used sewing machines previously and hated them (or at least the one I had back in the day) and I didn't want to battle making patchwork style quilts this way. When I moved to Hawai'i, I came across some ladies making Hawaiian quilts by hand and Bingo! That’s the kind of quilts I wanted to do. They are some of the most beautiful quilts. Since then, I have made peace with sewing machines as they have come a long way in regards to user-ability, thus I have broadened my quilt making to include patchwork styles too.

 

Stain Glass: I started working with stain glass around the year 2000. I moved to Oregon and saw some beautiful stain glass and soon after found myself taking a class. I have created window panels, free-form pieces, lampshades and cabinet door panels and I even constructed the cabinets they adorn! I love how light dances through the beautiful myriad of colors.

 

My Background: All the art I have ever made thus far was an outlet and hobbies. My education is in the sciences. I have an Associate of Science degree as a Dietetic Technician but I never pursued that career path. After traveling and working a wide array of jobs, I decided to go back to school and obtain a B.S. in wildlife biology. After graduating from Portland State University, I began working at the Portland Zoo in Oregon. I was a keeper, educator, trainer and presenter of the free-flighted bird shows. This was a dream job because not only did I get to share my enthusiasm for wildlife with zoo visitors, I got to work with so many awesome birds! I am truly a bird nut! I have since departed from the zoo world and now consider myself a full time artist!

 

I hope you enjoy my work!

 

Petra~