I moved to Alaska in 2003 to be close to my son and granddaughter. I have always dabbled with crafts – painting ceramics, making and painting holiday decorations and gifts. In 2006, I stumbled into painting pottery. It all started with a tomato plant in a plain five-gallon bucket. My granddaughter was visiting and I wanted to dress up the bucket. We went to the store to get a can of spray paint an
d purchased a variety of colors. My darling husband, Richard, cut stencils from cardboard and we made a mountain scene. I decided it needed detail and thought my granddaughter would have fun painting bugs and flowers on the bucket, so back to the store to fetch up some crafting paint – a lot of it. Soon I was painting every pot in the house, not to mention the walls, chairs, shelves, birdhouses and trim. Richard drew the line at painting flowers on the snow machines. I painted so many pots, it was suggested I take some to the local greenhouse. It took me weeks to muster up the courage to walk into a local greenhouse and ask if they would be interested in possibly purchasing my pots to pedal. They bought all I had and called me two hours later wanting more. There are now five shops in the Valley where you can purchase my work and two in Anchorage. With the support of my family and friends, I have pursued painting full-time and expanded to crystal, glass, plastics, metal, wood and more. Of course it’s all about the dog. Yankee is our yellow lab, he believes the kitchen is his domain, but he kindly allows me to work there. Thus, Yankee’s Kitchen!
