I have been lucky. Little of my life has been planned. Most of it is disparate.
I fell in love with math in 7th grade and managed to get into UC Berkeley with a
scholarship and a major in math. When I felt I needed something more connected to
the real world, I added a major in economics and prepared to continue with that in graduate school.
But totally lacking in any form of self-confidence, I instead got a job as a secretary.
From there, I went into computer programming and advanced. I worked for a company whose
stock did well enough I could retire early.
After retiring, I turned to painting and volunteer work, working with hawks, a turkey vulture, a couple of ducks, a couple of cormorants and some owls. You can't get much luckier than that.
This last year (2020), I had to retreat a bit. I can't forget the smell of a Turkey Vulture or the firm grip of a hawk on your glove, but I've had to limit all contact with the outside world. Instead, I took a great class on-line at Diablo Valley College. I've had some great teachers over the years. Kay Russell taught me watercolor. Anita Toney introduced me to printmaking, with an emphasis on intaglio. And now I can add Toru Sugita to my list. Toru adapted woodcut to something he could teach online and we could do at home. Check out my gallery for my latest prints!
I fell in love with math in 7th grade and managed to get into UC Berkeley with a
scholarship and a major in math. When I felt I needed something more connected to
the real world, I added a major in economics and prepared to continue with that in graduate school.
But totally lacking in any form of self-confidence, I instead got a job as a secretary.
From there, I went into computer programming and advanced. I worked for a company whose
stock did well enough I could retire early.
After retiring, I turned to painting and volunteer work, working with hawks, a turkey vulture, a couple of ducks, a couple of cormorants and some owls. You can't get much luckier than that.
This last year (2020), I had to retreat a bit. I can't forget the smell of a Turkey Vulture or the firm grip of a hawk on your glove, but I've had to limit all contact with the outside world. Instead, I took a great class on-line at Diablo Valley College. I've had some great teachers over the years. Kay Russell taught me watercolor. Anita Toney introduced me to printmaking, with an emphasis on intaglio. And now I can add Toru Sugita to my list. Toru adapted woodcut to something he could teach online and we could do at home. Check out my gallery for my latest prints!
Copyright © 2021 by Mary Blake. All Rights Reserved.
