Linda Whitehead and Russell Stokes Robert “Bob” Simpson is an author and local historian. Born and raised in Fullerton, Calif., he attended UCLA, UC Davis, and received his Masters in Agricultural Economics from Oregon State University. Bob then taught Business Administration at the University of Maryland and later entered the Doctoral Program at Harvard Business…
LaVerne Kyriss Greta von Wrangel is a long-time textile artist who started learning batik when her mother took a class in 1968 to learn the technique involved in using layers of wax resist and multiple dye baths to create intricately designed, often multi-colored fabric. “I designed a batik featuring one of the iconic Victorian San…
LaVerne Kyriss Rose Collins spent her professional life as a psychotherapist, working for 33 years with trauma victims in New York. During that time she enjoyed photography as a hobby and had several opportunities to show her work. “We moved to SaddleBrooke in 1998. I gave up my practice and was ready for a change.…
LaVerne Kyriss Delys Nast says she’s always done art. Her mother was an illustrator, commercial artist, and art teacher. “My mom always encouraged us four kids to explore creative outlets. We could use any of the supplies she had around,” she remembered, “except for the time I used pastel crayons for a sidewalk drawing. Those…
LaVerne Kyriss Howard Cohen started painting in the early 1990s by taking an extension class at the local high school in a Chicago area suburb. “It was a small class and the instructor would walk around as he was coaching students. When a student needed help, the instructor would stop and either talk them through…
LaVerne Kyriss A little more than 20 years ago in an RV park in Tucson, Sue Wilson walked into a watercolor class for the first time in her life. “I asked if there was room in the class. I told the instructor I have no paper, no paint, and no brushes, but this is always…
LaVerne Kyriss When Paul Kopp retired from running a flooring business in Topeka, he went back to school. “I wanted to change my focus from running a business and spent three years taking classes at our local college. Along the way, I discovered art and I was hooked. I concentrated and learned the basics. I…
LaVerne Kyriss “I’ve always been around art and artists, but I never seriously explored creating art until I retired,” noted Theresa Poalucci. “My mom was an artist, so I did learn about art as a child. I painted for fun and gave things away to family and friends. I never sold my creations. “My mom…
LaVerne Kyriss Suzanne Brubaker has been creating art for as long as she can remember. “I started drawing when I was three. I had a six-year-old cousin and I copied. I took an art course by mail and my brother gave me a painting kit for Christmas when I was 14,” she remembered. Brubaker went…
LaVerne Kyriss “Layering is the key to making collages,” explained collage artist, teacher, and SaddleBrooke Fine Arts Guild member Deb “Kress” Kresnicka, “but you also need a wide variety of materials that you can use to build a collage.” “I explore a variety of subjects, create eye candy to dazzle the viewer, explore mood and…