I was born on January 19, 1953 at 7:40 pm in Bakersfield, which
is a farm/oil town in the San Joaquin Valley of Central California. I had a high school art instructor who "forced"
us to study the human form. I could draw and label the entire skeletal system from memory when I graduated from high school
in my junior year.
My parents did not encourage me to pursue art. They wanted
me to go into the medical field. I enlisted in the USAF and spent my entire tour in high stress jobs in Emergency
Room and Labor and Delivery as a Medical Services Specialist at SAC Headquarters Offutt AFB Ehrling Bergquist Regional Hospital,
Nebraska.
I enrolled in my first clay lessons in 1972, at the Omaha Old Market
Craftsmans Guild, which was near the base. I've hauled my kilns and wheels around with me ever since, and I still use
clay for therapy. When Mom died I made funerary vessels for our whole extended family.
| My dad at around age 22 |
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| Harold J. Wilson 1923-2001 |
| My Mom at age 18 |
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| Beryl Heaney Wilson 1925-2004 |
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| Mom and Dad in 1987 at Devil's Den AR |
After my discharge and graduation from Bakersfield College, I completed my first Massage Therapy Certificate in 1977 at Evergreen Center while simultaneously attending Humboldt State University in Arcata, CA as an Art Education major. I became fascinated with alternative healing techniques,
earning two more Bodywork credentials. I was an active member of American Bodywork and Massage Professionals, and helped found
Kern Bodyworkers Guild. I had a thriving Massage Practice in partnership with several chiropractors. In 1992 I took a break
from bodywork and returned to art.
I have a need to touch, so I sculpt and throw pots and use
the immediate drawing tools of pencil and pastel, with which I can lay down the pigment directly with my hands. Brushes get
in my way.
| Zahidi, John, Alisson, Ian and my brother Joe |
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| Family Fun at Texas Ren Fest 2007 Pirates Weekend |
I left California for good in 1997. I spent seven
wonderful years in Slidell LA just north of New Orleans. My husband was
transferred to Houston right before H.Katrina and many of our friends were gravely affected by the storm,
hence the Katrina Doll Series. I left Houston for the family land in Arkansas in March 2010. I hope to spend the rest
of my life here in Hogeye at Malico Mountain Retreat.
I make art or teach drawing two or three days a week.
I did some substitute teaching and Talented Evaluation for the public schools in Louisiana. I teach annual DRSB seminars
at local venues, such as art leagues and community education programs in local colleges.
Most of the vessels I make are figurative. I have a profound respect for the function and engineering of the
human form, and for the depiction of that form. My
tactile experience is just as important in my drawing as it is in my clay work. My favorite painters are Picasso, Matisse
and Valadon for their line work, but I relate emotionally to works by Van Gogh, Gauguin and Degas.
I hope you enjoyed learning about me!
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