My adult students and I painted “en plein-air” (outdoors) morning, noon and night – all through the spring and summer of 2014. We look forward to what the autumn season will provide for us in the manner of color and scope.

In a article written by Kelly Compton “Highlighting Women Artists” in Fine Art Connoisseur October 2014 issue, we read “Until the 1960’s, society expected most women who were trained professionally in the visual arts to teach, rather than to exhibit actively. Those who did successfully pursue a public career often started out with an independent income or privileged access to the system.”

According to a recent poll, 51% of American visual artists are women, yet only 5% of the artworks on view in this country’s museums are made by women.

Those of us who are “called” to paint, do it no matter what the circumstances are. The joy that results during the process cannot be described with words. Some of us use every bit of time and effort to develop the talent that we have been given by God. If it came down to a choice between “eating out” or buying art supplies and art lessons – the latter would always win.

Ruth Bach-Dhondy, who just celebrated her 70th birthday, does not need to make such choices. Her supportive husband Noshir understands the importance of his wife’s desire to create. He makes sure that she has everything that she needs and more. She has and does it all and I am very happy for this woman whom I have adopted as my “sister.”

We both grew up on farms; yet, Ruth continues to live on the farm on which she was raised. In front of the Bach-Dhondy home lies flat land where the horses can graze. Hay fields border the pastures. Rising abruptly behind the homestead is a giant range of mountains – part of the Catskills.  This type of farmland was not possible where I was raised in northern Maine. In Aroostook County, the land was flat with a few rolling hills. The contrast in land was what I first fell in love with after moving to Ulster County, New York in 1973.

Ruth doesn’t take the beauty of the land surrounding her for granted. She is often portraying it on canvas for the pleasure of everyone. Ruth has won many awards over the years.  Most recently, she won “Best of Show” at our KBS 24th Annual Art Show in May 2014 ( Art Judge: Carol Davis.)  She won “Grand Prize”  (Art Judge: Douglas James McGuire) at the Columbia-Greene Community College KBS art show in September 2013 with a scene that she painted of her property in winter. She said she did not have to look at it (paint it – en plein-air) …her memory has that scene recorded photographically in her mind.

Ruth is pictured here painting a scene in Teresa Herzog’s backyard one evening this summer…

It is like a melody which gets played over and over again – its tantalizing effect captures our hearts and minds. I remember Ruth’s award-winning paintings in my mind as I listen to the music of the nearby mountains.