Lesley Shakespeare
Ever since I was a child, I have found the natural world inspiring. Born in England to two amazing gardeners I was surrounded by flowers, vegetables, a nice big lawn to roll around on, the smell of the soil and the earth beneath my bare feet. The birds, bugs and bees were all natural wonders to me. I have little to no fear of Mother Nature and I am eternally grateful she is my muse.
I loved to draw as a child. Inheriting the talent from my father who was a master draftsman. Perspective came natural to me and my favorite thing was a pack of new crayons with sharp tips (we didn’t have crayon sharpeners in those days). Funny that is what I loved as a child I still love the most: painting, singing and playing music and horses. We couldn’t afford lessons for me in any of these but in adulthood I pursued all these innate desires.
I started painting at 28 years old. A co-worker painted and when I saw her work I exclaimed “Oh, you have got to teach me how to do that!”. My art journey started with decorative painting in acrylics. And, just like any other interests evolve over time, I now paint in oils, watercolor, colored pencil as well as acrylics. I am mostly self-taught but have had the honor of learning with a few national/international artists.
I consider myself a “natural born” teacher since I have always had such a strong urge to share my excitement and wonder of all things that inspire me. My degree is in Therapeutic Recreation, which is where I really began to understand the restorative value our activities can offer us. Like most artists I believe that any creative process has therapeutic value. It can be relaxing as well as rejuvenating. It can be healing and fulfilling. Here in lies the therapeutic value.
I have been blessed as an art teacher to pass on the potential for an experience quite like no other. I’ve been gifted and though I did not set out to be an art teacher, I did set out to contribute to other people’s lives, and I can safely say that I have accomplished that…. artistically.