Connie Warnsing
My earliest piece of art was a dog, in crayon, behind the couch. My younger brother got in trouble for that, and I let it ride. I was 6 years old.
I grew up in a small community in central Illinois. We had a music program, and I studied a tiny bit of theater in senior English, but there was no art program. My first art class was at Eureka College. I was very much behind and lost most of the time. After two years, I transferred to Eastern Illinois University, where I was still behind, but ultimately earned a degree in 2D art and a minor in art history.
My dad, whose philosophy was ‘those who can do, those who can’t teach,’ paid my tuition to return to Eastern for a teaching certificate. I then taught second grade for 25 years. My art during that time was mainly illustration- the hallway school calendars, worksheets, summer art classes for the neighbor kids, and my last year, a brave attempt at a cafeteria mural. My big step forward was moving to Galena, where the Galena Center for the Arts took an interest, which gave me confidence to keep trying.
I have struggled to choose a medium. I love them all. Colored pencils have been my go-to for years. They were perfect for illustrations. I have tried oil pastels and acrylics and used both for a bit. But I have always been drawn to watercolors. I have recently been working towards that goal, taking an online course on loose sketching and watercolors. Progress is being made. Landscapes are next!
Besides art, I grew up loving the outdoors. It’s my favorite place to be. I love the flowers and trees. I love being on the river and in the mountains. Those are my main subjects, landscapes being my next step. I do try other techniques, rolling painted marbles around in an empty frame, designing T-shirts, and illustrating kids' books that I also write. I do not necessarily strive for realism, just the suggestion of it. I like my audience to use their imagination.
I do not remember ever being without art in my life. An uncle of mine was a graphic artist. He was inspirational. I received art kits growing up and many books on famous artists. As kids, we had a copy of The Giant Golden Book of Biology: An Introduction to the Science of Life illustrated by Charlie Harper. I loved Chinese art, Norman Rockwell, Vincent van Gogh, and Monet. All of these made me crave more. And I still do. As you may notice, there are no women artists in my formative years. I didn’t study women artists until college. I now admire many women artists, Frida Kahlo, Georgia O’Keeffe, Anita Kunz, just to name a few. I am sad it took so long for me to find them.
The arts are so important for kids and adults to be exposed to. They open minds, give insights into the world, broaden the scope of diversity, and support acceptance of all cultures. The arts should be in every school, and should be just as important, or in my opinion, more important, than sports programs. Art Is Life.
I grew up in a small community in central Illinois. We had a music program, and I studied a tiny bit of theater in senior English, but there was no art program. My first art class was at Eureka College. I was very much behind and lost most of the time. After two years, I transferred to Eastern Illinois University, where I was still behind, but ultimately earned a degree in 2D art and a minor in art history.
My dad, whose philosophy was ‘those who can do, those who can’t teach,’ paid my tuition to return to Eastern for a teaching certificate. I then taught second grade for 25 years. My art during that time was mainly illustration- the hallway school calendars, worksheets, summer art classes for the neighbor kids, and my last year, a brave attempt at a cafeteria mural. My big step forward was moving to Galena, where the Galena Center for the Arts took an interest, which gave me confidence to keep trying.
I have struggled to choose a medium. I love them all. Colored pencils have been my go-to for years. They were perfect for illustrations. I have tried oil pastels and acrylics and used both for a bit. But I have always been drawn to watercolors. I have recently been working towards that goal, taking an online course on loose sketching and watercolors. Progress is being made. Landscapes are next!
Besides art, I grew up loving the outdoors. It’s my favorite place to be. I love the flowers and trees. I love being on the river and in the mountains. Those are my main subjects, landscapes being my next step. I do try other techniques, rolling painted marbles around in an empty frame, designing T-shirts, and illustrating kids' books that I also write. I do not necessarily strive for realism, just the suggestion of it. I like my audience to use their imagination.
I do not remember ever being without art in my life. An uncle of mine was a graphic artist. He was inspirational. I received art kits growing up and many books on famous artists. As kids, we had a copy of The Giant Golden Book of Biology: An Introduction to the Science of Life illustrated by Charlie Harper. I loved Chinese art, Norman Rockwell, Vincent van Gogh, and Monet. All of these made me crave more. And I still do. As you may notice, there are no women artists in my formative years. I didn’t study women artists until college. I now admire many women artists, Frida Kahlo, Georgia O’Keeffe, Anita Kunz, just to name a few. I am sad it took so long for me to find them.
The arts are so important for kids and adults to be exposed to. They open minds, give insights into the world, broaden the scope of diversity, and support acceptance of all cultures. The arts should be in every school, and should be just as important, or in my opinion, more important, than sports programs. Art Is Life.
