As a child, I always dreamed of being a rock star! That never happened...well, not yet anyway!
When I was in first grade, I remember getting an A+ on a poem entitled "The Mighty Oak". Wish I still had that poem, but I have no idea what ever happened to it. The only line I remember is "the mighty oak see how tall it stands".
It was at that age that I started noticing the beauty of the tree and of course the oak was and still is my favorite. It is so interesting to look at. Have you ever really looked at an oak tree? There are so many clunky chunks of bark and the branches turn and twist unlike any other tree. And they stand so tall and are so dark and green when in bloom.
Here in Illinois the Burr Oak is the prairies natural tree.......but the mighty tall oak.....is a tree to be respected.
Throughout my grade school years, I sketched horses a lot...and I mean a lot. I always wanted a horse. I remember asking my mother and father if I could have a horse and of course because we lived in a typical suburban subdivision, there was no way I could own a horse. There were plenty of stables in the area, so I would get my fix of horses by riding on Saturday mornings whenever I could. Back then it wasn't too expensive, so I would save up my allowance and go for an hour. I recall always riding a horse named Ray. He was gentle and fast. My passion for horses is still strong today, but I rarely draw them and never ride. Maybe I should have become a vet and then I could have been around them more often. But, I just never could see myself in that role...having to put down an animal is not something I could do.
When I was in high school, I never knew what I was going to do, but one thing I knew for sure was that I wasn't too keen on the thought of having children. I come from a large family and having all that noise and confusion was enough growing up, so I really had no interest in being a mother. The only time I regretted it was when I was turning 40 and time was running out. Now I enjoy the few hours that I get with the great nieces and nephews. I think I have made a good choice by being an aunt, instead of a mother.
When I was thirteen or so, I got a job working as a shampoo girl at my brothers hair salon on Saturdays. I loved it! I got to meet all kinds of people and go home with a pocket full of tips and my salary. Back then no one cared about how old you where, we just needed to survive. During those years before adulthood, I worked my way up to becoming a hair designer. I studied under my brother as his apprentice learning how to cut and style hair. At this point in my life I had no idea what I wanted to be or do, but went with the moment and got into it. That lasted for many years, but found that it was not my calling and retired completely from the hair business. It was at that point that I got into art. At twenty, I got a job at a picture framing place and learned the ins and outs of framing. With this job, I got to see many original art pieces and serviced accounts for large corporations. I can proudly say that I have handled a real Picasso, Grant Woods, Duffy and several other well know works of art. The thought gives me chills to this day. To think, they trusted me to open up famous art pieces; repairing and re-framing them.
After being laid off from the framing business, I was out one night and met a female house painter. I chatted with her for awhile and found it interesting that she had her own business and was working in a "mans" job.
I had never thought of doing that kind of work, but growing up had done many of those types of jobs at home with my father who was very handy around the house. I gave her my phone number and told her to call me if she needed any help. Only a few days would pass before the phone was ringing and I was hired to start my new career as a professional house painter. After several months working for her, I decided that if she could do this, I could too. I ventured off on my own creating my business, Edmunds Talents Plus.
In the beginning, I did whatever I could to stay a float. I hung shelves, fixed lamps and many other handyman jobs until I settled on full time painting and wallpapering. I picked up plastering and soon I was taping and plastering homes. Throughout the years I have met many people and done various remodeling jobs in and around the Chicagoland area. My specialty became custom painting and faux finishes, with an emphasis on good, reliable service. To this day, I take pride in the fact that I give my customers the best service they can get for the money.
Along the way, I got an interest in Real Estate. My older sister Nancy, who after working for me for over 7 years, decided to get into the real estate business. She persuaded me to get my license, hoping that we could work together again. After passing all the exams and going through all the training, it didn't take long for me to realize that real estate was not my cup of tea. I would go to work painting, then change my clothes and go show houses after work. I gave it a try for about four years and after many frustrating deals and long weekends showing homes, decided that I was not "the Realtor" type. So back to full time painting.
Art was something that I dabbled in all my life, but never did anything really serious about learning one medium or another. I loved to create things with my hands, including using plaster to make sculpted objects. I picked up watercolors sometime in the 1980's and gave them a try. Finding the medium difficult, but interesting, I continued to create whatever I could, not having any formal training. In the 90's, I put the watercolors away for a move to another home and they didn't reappear for over 10 years. Then one day around 2005 or so, I decided that I needed to get back into my watercolors and found my "ART BOX" out in the garage. I took a class at the local Hobby Lobby and it reignited my passion for watercolors.
When I was in first grade, I remember getting an A+ on a poem entitled "The Mighty Oak". Wish I still had that poem, but I have no idea what ever happened to it. The only line I remember is "the mighty oak see how tall it stands".
It was at that age that I started noticing the beauty of the tree and of course the oak was and still is my favorite. It is so interesting to look at. Have you ever really looked at an oak tree? There are so many clunky chunks of bark and the branches turn and twist unlike any other tree. And they stand so tall and are so dark and green when in bloom.
Here in Illinois the Burr Oak is the prairies natural tree.......but the mighty tall oak.....is a tree to be respected.
Throughout my grade school years, I sketched horses a lot...and I mean a lot. I always wanted a horse. I remember asking my mother and father if I could have a horse and of course because we lived in a typical suburban subdivision, there was no way I could own a horse. There were plenty of stables in the area, so I would get my fix of horses by riding on Saturday mornings whenever I could. Back then it wasn't too expensive, so I would save up my allowance and go for an hour. I recall always riding a horse named Ray. He was gentle and fast. My passion for horses is still strong today, but I rarely draw them and never ride. Maybe I should have become a vet and then I could have been around them more often. But, I just never could see myself in that role...having to put down an animal is not something I could do.
When I was in high school, I never knew what I was going to do, but one thing I knew for sure was that I wasn't too keen on the thought of having children. I come from a large family and having all that noise and confusion was enough growing up, so I really had no interest in being a mother. The only time I regretted it was when I was turning 40 and time was running out. Now I enjoy the few hours that I get with the great nieces and nephews. I think I have made a good choice by being an aunt, instead of a mother.
When I was thirteen or so, I got a job working as a shampoo girl at my brothers hair salon on Saturdays. I loved it! I got to meet all kinds of people and go home with a pocket full of tips and my salary. Back then no one cared about how old you where, we just needed to survive. During those years before adulthood, I worked my way up to becoming a hair designer. I studied under my brother as his apprentice learning how to cut and style hair. At this point in my life I had no idea what I wanted to be or do, but went with the moment and got into it. That lasted for many years, but found that it was not my calling and retired completely from the hair business. It was at that point that I got into art. At twenty, I got a job at a picture framing place and learned the ins and outs of framing. With this job, I got to see many original art pieces and serviced accounts for large corporations. I can proudly say that I have handled a real Picasso, Grant Woods, Duffy and several other well know works of art. The thought gives me chills to this day. To think, they trusted me to open up famous art pieces; repairing and re-framing them.
After being laid off from the framing business, I was out one night and met a female house painter. I chatted with her for awhile and found it interesting that she had her own business and was working in a "mans" job.
I had never thought of doing that kind of work, but growing up had done many of those types of jobs at home with my father who was very handy around the house. I gave her my phone number and told her to call me if she needed any help. Only a few days would pass before the phone was ringing and I was hired to start my new career as a professional house painter. After several months working for her, I decided that if she could do this, I could too. I ventured off on my own creating my business, Edmunds Talents Plus.
In the beginning, I did whatever I could to stay a float. I hung shelves, fixed lamps and many other handyman jobs until I settled on full time painting and wallpapering. I picked up plastering and soon I was taping and plastering homes. Throughout the years I have met many people and done various remodeling jobs in and around the Chicagoland area. My specialty became custom painting and faux finishes, with an emphasis on good, reliable service. To this day, I take pride in the fact that I give my customers the best service they can get for the money.
Along the way, I got an interest in Real Estate. My older sister Nancy, who after working for me for over 7 years, decided to get into the real estate business. She persuaded me to get my license, hoping that we could work together again. After passing all the exams and going through all the training, it didn't take long for me to realize that real estate was not my cup of tea. I would go to work painting, then change my clothes and go show houses after work. I gave it a try for about four years and after many frustrating deals and long weekends showing homes, decided that I was not "the Realtor" type. So back to full time painting.
Art was something that I dabbled in all my life, but never did anything really serious about learning one medium or another. I loved to create things with my hands, including using plaster to make sculpted objects. I picked up watercolors sometime in the 1980's and gave them a try. Finding the medium difficult, but interesting, I continued to create whatever I could, not having any formal training. In the 90's, I put the watercolors away for a move to another home and they didn't reappear for over 10 years. Then one day around 2005 or so, I decided that I needed to get back into my watercolors and found my "ART BOX" out in the garage. I took a class at the local Hobby Lobby and it reignited my passion for watercolors.
