I was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and raised in the beautiful Emigration Canyon. I am one of 5 siblings of my parents Shirley and Ray Teal. I have always been in love with art even as a little girl I was intrigued with my fathers history, he had studied art as a young man and then had to go off to war. He took his watercolor kit and paper pad with him and recorded things he saw in the war. He said he would sit in the foxholes and paint!!!

He was a very quiet man and never shared much of his art with any of us, not until he was in his 70's did he hang any of his paintings and then he got busy and put a lot of them in frames he made and hung them by his bedroom. I always voiced my desire of becoming an artist to which he would reply "don't waste your time" for he had the desire but when he came home from war there was very little call for graphic artists in Salt Lake, so he had to forget that dream of being an artist  and get a job to support his family. He did however, play the guitar and that became his passion for many years until my mom died and then he just put the guitar away.

I think that his telling me that being an artist was not something I could do was the instrument that got me going and in the right direction. I was determined to prove him wrong! Very rebellious kid I was!

In 1961 I got married to my dear hubby Jim, we moved into the house we live in now,  which we had built before we got married, we have three children James, John and Teal.

My daughter has blessed me with two beautiful, talented granddaughters! My girls are the delight of my life they keep me young and laughing!!!!

In the early 90's I became a "Born Again Christian" it was though my daughter who wanted to raise her children in a Christian church that I came to the Lord, then when my first granddaughter turned 4 my hubby was baptized. I have had many blessings in my lifetime, even in the darkest times there is always something good that comes out in the end if you believe in Jesus.

One of my students owned horses and I had the chance a few years ago to do something I had not done for a long time.  Ride a horse! At  the age 16 my grandfather gave me a horse, Chiquita, she was an high spirited mare and loved to try to buck me off! I only rode bareback after the first time she tried that because my foot got caught in the stirrups, I was afraid it would happen again so I learned how to just ride without a saddle. Actually is is more comfortable! I spent hours alone riding her all over the beautiful hills in Emigration Canyon.

 Family

My Beautiful daughter, Teal.

Daughter Teal and her husband Kelly

We are going to Art and Soup, a local art auction, it was the year I was accepted into the show.

My granddaughters loved to dress up....

                  Savannah is a princess for her birthday party!       Amanda in her moms wedding dress!

They loved the 50's costume I made for them.....in my spare time I sew! (Sometimes)

In March of 2008 my daughter and granddaughters traveled to Las Vegas and had a girls trip....we got to see my daughters favorite singer since she was a teen....Rick Springfield...my granddaughters were called up on stage to sing with him! What a thrill!!!

My son John moved to Kentucky with his darling wife Suzy, he works at Convergy's as a program director  and on the week-ends he plays in his band "Rumble Club", they are one of the hottest rockabilly bands in the south!  He inherited the talent from my Dad. Boy can he pick that guitar! He will be at the Orleans Resort in Las Vegas in April 2009.

He is the one with the glasses! Cute isn't he!

Here is his youtube!  Listen to his band play!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa5FyDAvw64

John my son and my daughter-in-law Suzy and my hubby.

Suzy has been his help mate for years, she is right there taking good care of my son, she is a wonderful daughter-in-law. I know that even if he is living far away from home she is taking care of him!

My brother Randy with Suzy and John

This photo was taken in the 80's, this is my brother Randy, we were at the Mountain Man Rendezvous, in a teepee.

My family....from left: brother Randy, wife Cyndy, daughter Kayla, Hubby, Brother Dave, Sister Sally and granddaughter Amanda. We have visited Moab, UT many times just hanging and having fun!

My husband and I have been blessed with the ability to travel the world, we love to cruise and have been on many cruises. We have crossed both oceans two times and love to be on the open sea!

Me watching for whales in Alaska

Beautiful Paris! Our first trans-Atlantic cruise to Europe

My adorable hubby in Holland!

Our second cruise to Hawaii 2004, we have crossed the pacific 4 times on a cruise ship.

Roxie and Lydia.....nightmares from Hell!!!

Oh they were so cute...our second set of Old English Sheep Dogs, our first had passed away, these little devils were so out of control.....oh the stories I could tell!

This is Katie she is 15 years old.	Zoey or second Old English Sheep Dog, she was the best dog ever!

My history as an artist

In 1970 I took a night course at the local high school, it was the beginning of my painting, up until then I had only been drawing. From that point on I started studying everything I could get my hands on, I think I read every book on art in our local library and started buying art books which make up a large collection today. In 1978 I was asked by some friends to "teach" them how to paint, at first I thought I could not do that but then thought why not....so I did and in a very small room in my basement I started holding weekly classes. I had no trouble filling them up, and in 1987 we built a large studio on the back of our house and I started having classes four times a week, the studio would hold up to 20 students and I filled it most of the time. My experience teaching actually taught me so much!  When I started out I can remember standing behind a student who would ask me how to do something, then they would get up from their seat and hand me the brush so I could show them how to so it....there were times when I honestly didn't have a clue!!!  I would sit down at the easel and ask God to show me what to do...it worked!  So many times I felt like I was just an instrument for Him, and things would just open up for me, I would start to show them how to do something and would be amazed that I actually knew how to do it!!! I could never explain it but I feel like I had a lot of help in those early days!!!

My soul finds rest in God alone: My salvation comes from Him. 
                                                                              - Psalms 62:1

First show I had a booth in, Las Vegas Creative Painting Show 2000

Booth at Art and Soup

Some of my students from the past.

Jan	Paula	Viola	Bonnie	Geri

Michelle	Rhetta	Sandy

Back to home page