Beauty Down Deep

Tina’s very first work of art was an overweight "stick" man sporting a round belly, squiggly hair, all the facial features, two protruding ears, and hands with the added detail of fingers. She was 2 years old. The kindergarten teacher present that day was amazed and swore that she rarely ever found this kind of talent in her 5-year-old students. Thus, began Tina’s life as an artist.

When she was 10, she began attending private art lessons which covered a variety of media including charcoal, pastels, and oil painting. Her first oil painting was a sepia colored mountain and lake scene. The skill shown in the work surprised both her teacher and her parents. The painting still adorns her parents’ wall today.
In junior high, she joined the school art club where she designed yearbook covers, painted mural backdrops, and created parade costumes among many other things. When she went to college, she majored in Fine Art. She took a wide variety of classes including photography, sculpture, acrylic painting, art history, and graphic design. However, her main focus was in oil painting.

Today, Tina strives to bring out the soul, spirit, and beauty of the animal and the scene. Her paintings start off with a neutral colored acrylic under-painting. Then she applies oil glazes to add color and life. She then paints lean oil directly into the glazes to bring forth highlights, deepen shadows, and add more color. Her goal is to bring the animal or scenery back to life on the canvas and for the onlooker to see the vibrancy of another dimension.