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About Me (: The Self-taught Artist :)
I, Loretta Massey, was born in the mountians of Johnson City, Tennessee. The daughter of a military father. I moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina during my early childhood. From Childhood well into my Twenties I was fascinated with ART. I dreamed, as many children do, of becoming famous for my passion. However, art was not only my passion, from a very early age it served as an outlet, tool for expression, and a release. As a self-taught artist I moved back to Johnson City for college. Following much encouragement from my my loving father, I began lessons of oil painting with Mr. Urban Bird. I eventually found myself in the art program at East Tennessee State University working towards a degree in Fine Art. My ultimate joy was painting pictures for my family and friends.
In the 1980's my Life, as I previously knew it, came to an abrupt halt as I became ill with the mental illness known as Schizophrenia. The artist in me fell silent and I curbed all of my creative energies. I have now been living with this illness 30 years. In the late 1990's I moved back to Fayetteville, NC to be near my family. My daddy nudged me in the way of exploring my artistic side once again and encouraged me to take more art classes. I was reluctant to open that door in my life. In 2001 my daddy was suddenly taken from this earth and our family. It was a loss accompanied by feeling that I did not feel prepared to deal with.
It was this feeling of emptiness and a nagging feeling in my heart that allowed me to push away all fear and explore my love for painting again. I went right out, bought drawing and painting supplies, and began my journey of self-education in art. Painting has Become my way of "creative Grieving" and helps me deal with all the feelings surrounding my life's journey. once again, like in chilhood, painting has become an outlet for my emotions.
Now, at 56 years old, I am once again an Artist. A quiet person by nature, I found that art allows me to express myself in ways I could have never imagined. this rediscovered passion has transformed my garage into a makeshift studio. I enjoy painting with illustrations and photos as a guide and pick up new techniques from art books that I have purchased ove the last few years. I enjoy spending time watching art painting classes on PBS channel and studying the works of my favorite artists; Jerry Yarnell, Helen Van Wyk, Bob Ross. My tendency is to delve into all media using mostly acrylics and watercolor pencils to produce a finished product. With a style that I feel is closest to realism I explore my talents with still life , landscapes and people. I lovingly admire nature and the colors it produces. My desire is to transfer this admiration onto paper and canvas to produve for you the visions I see in my mind.
I hope that you are able to enjoy and appreciate these works as much as I enjoy painting them.
