Name/Title
Viamonte - Mary Kay Melton - Spring MigrationDescription
Mary Kay was born in Minnesota. Her father was an attorney in the Navy. She moved to California in 5th grade and grew up in South San Francisco. She met her husband in Berkeley in the 60’s. They lived overseas for 18 years. Living in Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, London and Bangkok gave her a broad perspective and respect for other cultures. She has been a widow since 2008. Her daughter lives close by.
Mary Kay has taken the art class since 2020, starting on Zoom at the height of COVID. She never considered herself to be artistic or creative. She started with the basics, such as the shapes making up a bird. While her instructor Megan has introduced other mediums, she likes watercolor. The first time she used acrylics was for her Spring Migration painting. Creating art is “an agonizing process because I don’t know where to begin. Mary Kay enjoys “Being able to do art that I’ve never done before and never thought I could do. I like learning basics in a fun atmosphere. I actually have a portfolio now.”
She feels that some of the benefits of the class are that you interact with people in a different setting and appreciate what they’re doing. Mary Kay shares that while everyone already knows each other, it’s “fun doing things with friends, not just a class of random people…I’m a people person and enjoy learning and getting new perspectives on things.” Words of wisdom Mary Kay shared: “Above all, you have to keep your sense of humor with doing art or anything else.”
