As a child I dedicated my life to poetry and art. My family moved around growing up, but we always visited Trempealeau, Wisconsin where my grandparents and great-grandparents lived and where my mother grew up. When our family came off the highway and I saw the Mississippi River, my heart never failed to leap with joy. Living and working in Michigan I retained a dream of one day living in Trempealeau.
I had encephalitis at age 11 and again at age 19 and had some challenging years. After writing hundreds of poems and drawing some 30×40 Crayola marker drawings that expressed my pain, I felt that I could touch and connect with more people with painting. So I taught myself to paint by painting flowers. Then in the 1990s and 2000’s I took poems I wrote during the 1970’s and 1980’s and made paintings of them. I will soon be publishing a book of these paintings with the corresponding poems. I worked in an office, so I continued to paint a variety of paintings at night and on weekends. Many of my paintings tell a story.
In 2015 I moved to Trempealeau to care for my Mother and stayed in Trempealeau after her passing. I am always stunned by the beauty in this magical driftless area. I love the way fog comes off the river and the bluffs change with the seasons. But it is the light here, the mystical light which anoints the land, that I hope to capture along with the people and events, faith and stories that enter my world.
I have also completed a book of poems about my past, coming to Trempealeau, and caring for my mother which will be available soon. Thank you for your interest.
Anne