About the Artist
I grew up in Norwich, Connecticut. My parents, Sidney and Dorothy Beller, were both very creative people. Mom was amazing with sewing, needlework, knitting and crochet, and cooking. My father was a passionate gardener, and had a woodworking shop in our basement, in addition to his career as a Certified Public Accountant. As a child, I was very fortunate that they sent me every Saturday morning through my elementary school years, to the art school at Norwich Free Academy, our local high school. I enjoyed classes in painting and drawing, pottery and sculpture there. I have four wonderful sisters, who have been great friends through the years.
I attended the University of Rochester in NY, and dropped out in my sophomore year, to sort out my priorities during the upheaval of the 1960's. I eventually went back to school at the University of Connecticut as an art major, and I met my husband, Joe Pompano, there. We lived in Massachusetts for many years, and I received my B.A. and teaching certification in Elementary Education and Art Education from the University of Massachusetts. In 1981, we moved to Richmond; and then in 1988, to Hanover, Virginia. In December, 2023, we moved to Barboursville, Virginia, to live near our three daughters and their families; two in Charlottesville, and one in Maryland. It's lovely to live near our grandchildren, and I have always loved the Blue Ridge Mountains, which surround us, and I feel deeply thankful to be living here amidst such beauty.
I have worn many hats over the years, having worked as an elementary school teacher, art teacher, portrait artist, scrimshaw artist, and landscape painter in oils and pastels. I have also done illustration work for 22 book covers for Thorndike Press, and greeting cards for Sunrise Publications. For thirty years, I taught piano lessons, and art lessons, to children and adults, in my home, and in a rented studio in Ashland, called the Harvest Moon Studio.
I am very proud to have been given the opportunity to write a book on woodburning for Fox Chapel Publishing. The Woodburning Project and Pattern Treasury was published in October, 2011, and is available for sale at Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Fox Chapel. This book is still selling very well after over 14 years, and has been translated into Chinese for the Asian market! I also wrote and illustrated dozens of magazine articles on woodburning for Creative Woodworks and Crafts, and Scrollsaw magazines. I taught woodburning classes for five years at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. I feel very gratified knowing that thousands of people have spent peaceful, creative hours working on my designs and projects, especially during the pandemic. I love the emails and photos they send me, from all over the world, showing me their projects.
I no longer do woodburning work, and I have transitioned back to my first love, which is painting and drawing, since 2015.
I love to paint wildlife, children, landscapes of rural scenes, and nature studies of flowers, gardens, animals and birds. I like to work in watercolor, with touches of opaque watercolor (gouache), ink, and a little colored pencil thrown in. I have written and illustrated a children's book called Mother Earth's Special Day: A Message of Hope, which is about climate change, and I hope to find a home for my book someday, since I care very deeply about our beautiful Earth and wildlife; and the future of our Earth for my children and grandchildren. I also enjoy doing Poem Paintings that illuminate my favorite poetry, song lyrics or inspiring scripture; weaving images together that express the meaning of the words, and sewing quilted mats, with buttons and ribbon, to complement the paintings.
I enjoy gardening, reading, sewing, playing the piano, singing in the choir, cooking, taking walks with our two dogs, Professor and Princess, and spending time with my family and friends. My husband and I enjoy contemplative meditation and we are members of a Centering Prayer group.