dogs and cats, drawing and daydreaming with a galivanting imagination. Recognizing the scope of her artistic abilities, teachers, her creative mother skilled in
sewing and gardening, and her multi-talented aunt who once worked as a sign painter, encouraged her passion. Besides the typical grade school and high
school art classes, Cindy’s sole exposure to an art show occurred at a horticultural event in a nearby town, where her charcoal drawing of a cat earned her a blue ribbon.