I took up painting at 54 years old in an attempt to fill a void left by an empty nest and the loss of my ability to compete as a scratch golfer, a life-long passion and outlet, due to physical challenges. Starting with a UL adult continuing education class and the encouragement of Chuck Broussard, a friend and former colleague, I found my way to Carl Groh’s oil painting class in the summer of 2015.

At the time, I did not know that Carl was an extremely gifted, classically trained, famous portrait painter. When I first watched Carl paint, I was so mesmerized that I literally could not go to sleep at night. Immediately, I knew I found something that would engage my entire being. It absolutely consumed me, engaging both the right and left sides of my brain. I studied with Carl for two and a half years. Since then, most of the hundred paintings I have done have been given away to friends, loved ones, and people that have supported my nonprofit organization, Bienvenu Counseling Services, where I’ve served as director, professional counselor, speaker and author for over 30 years.

Artist’s Statement:

I absolutely love to paint! I totally lose myself in it. I especially enjoy painting things that are special to people, that brings them happiness and joy when they look at it. It really doesn’t matter what the subject matter is. I don’t yet have a specialty or a niche. I love the continual learning process of how to paint and trying different things. Because I believe it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at something, my goal is to reach that point by age 65. So far, I’m on track, having put in 3,000.