It is not an understatement to say Virginia Paquette changed my life. In 2016, I walked into her Abstract Watercolor class at North Seattle College, and the rest, as the cliché goes, is history.

It’s not easy to describe Virginia’s approach to art instruction. She had very definite viewpoints about what makes a successful piece. But she created an expansive artistic environment that fostered a wide range of talent and interpretations.

The pieces I’m contributing to this exhibition are examples of how Virginia’s light touch led to a couple of my favorites. Collage #1 was my first effort in my first collage class. At the time, I thought I was just lucky in how it all turned out. But throughout the class, Virginia would be walking around the room and making small suggestions to many of my classmates. I listened to most of what she had to say and by the end of class, it all came together.

Several years later in another abstract watercolor class, we were working on shapes. Again, Virginia was walking around the room and as she walked by my table, she suggested that I figure out a way to connect the two large black shapes. One stroke made all the difference. (See Connections above). 

It didn’t matter that I didn’t have much experience making art. Virginia’s genius was to meet me where I was and bring out the artist that was already there.

I miss her and will always be grateful for this journey she started for me.