An animal lover, a visionary, a country girl at heart.... that is me. I live in a beautiful valley in the country surrounded by nature and it is here that I am my most creative. Thus, I call my studio "Valley Illusions."
I was born in a small town in southwestern Pennsylvania and began drawing at an early age. I began painting in 1958 and did my first commissioned piece in 1960. There is no formal art education, only a natural feel for that which I paint.
When my children were young, I taught arts & crafts at a senior citizens center on a part-time basis. During that time I also had students recovering from stress, drugs, and physical problems, and taught them my own form of art therapy. When the organization to which I belonged wanted to put murals on the walls of the pediatric section of our local hospital, I assisted in organizing and doing the work. I also did one entire wall completely freehand. I exhibited in local shows until 1973 when my life took a drastic change.
It wasn't until 1991 that I again was able to start painting and found that all I had experienced during those years gave my painting a completely new look. It was then that I established "Valley Illusions" and began doing local shows.
Several of my paintings have been exhibited in Richmond, VA, others are in Alabama, Missouri, Texas, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Ohio in private collections.
With my art I try to give some of the peacefulness that is felt here in the valley to the viewer. My paintings are originals done in oil on canvas. The exceptions are some of the Focus Paintings which are now done in acrylics on canvas.
S.W. Abbott
