I grew up in Indiana with a love of adventure, which includes living in four states and two countries, and traveling around the world. I began teaching art in 1969 and retired in 2013. Throughout my career, I taught art in elementary, high school and university-level, and also took the role as Media Producer at University of Wisconsin, Parkside and Saddleback Community College in California. I took a one-year sabbatical to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and taught art to grades 7-12 and experienced life in a culture very different than what I had known. I returned to Indiana to finish my career at Center Grove High School. After retiring in the U.S. in 2010, I sought out for another cultural experience and taught art at Dalian International School in Jinshitan, People’s Rebublic of China. Since returning to the United States in 2013, I spend every day working on art. My travels around the United States and other countries have inspired me to take photographs that would later turn into watercolors, oil paintings, mixed media, batik and cloth art.
A History of My Artistic Progression:
In 1965, I began my advanced education at Indiana University at Bloomington, and I knew that art was the direction I wanted to pursue. As an art student, the direction the professors wanted me to take was to become an artist. However, I needed to know that
I would have a job when I finished and went into teaching art. I found teaching art was something I grew to love. In this phase of my life, I was a teacher/artist. During the last decade of my teaching, I taught Advanced Placement classes as part of my teaching load. These students prepared me for my future. As they were preparing art portfolios for college, I had to give assignments that were challenging and my own artwork needed to inspire them. When returning from China in 2013, I officially retired from teaching. At first, it was hard leaving the teaching part behind and I was a bit fearful to rely solely on being an artist. I allowed myself to put all my love into my art. During the next six years, I was accepted membership via a committee jury process into Indiana Artists Club and became a Signature Watercolor Artist. I had my first solo art exhibition, which was covered by the local newspaper. I exhibited in several art shows and watercolor shows, and one of my dreams came true when I was chosen to exhibit in a watercolor show at the Indianapolis Museum of Art in Indiana.
I moved to San Ramon, California in 2019 to live closer to my grandkids. I was fortunate to find a group of fellow artists at the Senior Center who produced different art forms, and we enjoyed keeping the art dialogue alive. It is the teacher in me who likes learning from other artists. I have joined the Watercolor Society and am currently exhibiting in a virtual art show. I am also exhibiting in the Blackhawk Gallery in Danville, California. Since retirement, I have painted over 100 paintings of various subjects, and I know there are more subjects waiting to be painted.
If you have any questions, please email me at nancy.shake@yahoo.com, or call me at 510-912-2296.
