Inspiring People

I love this shot taken in Hollywood the day of the Academy Awards, 2009. Hidden behind sunglasses are friends Colleen, Steve, me and if you look closely you can see my husband Ken just behind me.

A little background.

Way back in 2003 I saw a set of painted dining chairs at my neighbor Jill's house. "I love them!" I gushed. Jill told me all I needed to know to start my first painted chair. One chair obviously led to a desk, a table, and many more chairs. Later I learned that Colleen (the same one as in the picture) had painted Jill's chairs and everything Jill told me she'd learned from Colleen.

I remember the first time I saw Colleen. I took my daughter to a workshop sponsored by our area's health system. The vibrant woman leading us through games, discussions, and activities with humor and enough energy to light up a city: Colleen. She was amazing!

Before her work with the health system, Colleen, a nurse by profession, spent about eight years painting furniture! Sometime after the workshop – neither of us remember how or exactly when – we met and hit it off. We talked about our kids, church, life. Most surprising was the similarity of our painting styles. In a way she became my artistic mentor.

Then we moved to Riverside. I still paint and Colleen has moved into more administration, innovation and public speaking. The friendship endures as the above photo proves. Colleen and Steve were our first friends from the mid-west to fly out for a visit. Pin It