Dessie spears

Artist Statement

Creativity is engrained into who I am as a woman, human. I have an instinctual drive to find purpose, beauty and reason. Because of my empathetic nature, even when the world put me down, I did my best to find the good and be good to the people around me. My heart is filled with gratitude for all the people that have touched my life and even for the struggles as they have brought forth growth. Through my art I find fulfillment and sense of peace. Inspiration from literature and the vast number of books that have guided me through my life. I have found connection through nature, human connectivity and physical movement. My art describes who I am as person on any given day, each day flowing from one into the next, expressing joy, passion, and sometimes pain or sorrow. It is representational of my soul.

With an Attitude of Gratitude, Dessie

Biography

Raised in rural southern Indiana, Dessie grew up outdoors on a nature preserve and family farm, constantly being inspired by the nature around her. As the fifth of six children, her creativity was fostered by both her surroundings and her circumstances. Her creative spirit bloomed through the seasons as she floated the rivers, rode her horse, and climbed the trees. She nurtured a sense of independence and confidence. As a teenager she already knew she wanted to be an artist. She attended Ivy Tech for Commercial Art and began working as an artist for a display company in Louisville Kentucky. However, after the company went bankrupt, she fell into work as an operating engineer. The art of shaping the earth became her creative outlet. The construction world was filled with daily stressors that taught her how to survive in the culture of the work which was often hostile and negative towards her as a woman. Luckily, with downtime in the winter, she was able to attend local colleges and take courses to improve her painting and drawing skills which she regularly worked at despite becoming a mother of two children and working full time. At the age of 49 she enrolled into the San Francisco Academy of Art majoring in Interior Design and Architecture. It took 35 years working as an operating engineer to finally find the courage necessary to push her dreams into reality. After retiring she has finally gotten the time to pursue her original quest of creating beauty through thought-provoking and inspirational artwork.