Past Exhibits
June Weisman
“People I Know”
Oct. 23rd – Nov. 26th, 2005
“I was born in Akron, Ohio in 1927. My father was a house painter-barber and my mother was a photographer and played the banjo. We didn’t have much money but I usually got watercolors and crayons for Christmas. I drew a lot, especially caricatures. I got along well with my art teachers and usually worked on murals and special projects at school.
I have lived in places as disparate as Pittsburgh, Bordeauxe, France, Great Falls and Bozeman, Montana, and Tacoma, Washington with my second husband. We had six children, but after twenty-one years of marriage, we divorced.
My youngest son moved to Cleveland, Ohio with me and my third husband, Russell. I went back to school at Cleveland Community College, Kent State and Case Western Reserve. Then I started at the Cleveland Institute of Art, where I took figure drawing and had Carrol Cassell for printmaking. After my son left for school at Kansas City Art Institute, I painted every day. I also made many friends with whom I’m still in touch.
When my husband retired from professorship at Case Western Reserve Medical School, I knew I had to be closer to my family, most of whom live in the Northwest. My husband and I have lived here in Portland for two years. Now we can be with family for holidays and special occasions, which makes me very happy.
Painting and drawing has enriched my life. I’m usually looking at patterns in faces and bodies as well as light and shadows. I also love color. I have been influenced by Richard Diebenkorn,
Matisse and Alice Neel. I have enjoyed doing this series of people paintings, and I look forward to the rest of my creative life.”
