Art In Spite of it All

Carolyn P. McNellis was born in 1929 and grew-up in Oak Park, IL. She's a mother of 8 and a grandmother of 26. Contributor to a number of books and magazines, most recently as illustrator to the books: '26 Cousins' and 'Joy In Learning'. In the classroom, her drawing abilities were far beyond the standard picture book format of the 30's and 40's. An older sister was a creative artist but enrolling in the American Academy of Art in Chicago was a significant step in her immersion into the art community. Upon graduation, where many of her classmates pursued professional careers, like her good friend Joan Fitzgerald (who moved to Venice to become a world renowned sculptor), Carolyn decided to get married. And as her family was expanding, she always offered her artistic skills for school and church functions, including the 'La Leche League'. But her primary focus was her family and her 'Family First' philosophy which she continues to this day. Artists before her, including the great masters, all go through a 'rebirth' period. Carolyn's started in the late 70's when she had a chance to design a line of clothing and silk-screened prints that were going to be produced in Turkey. And in the late 80's as her children had families of their own, she finally had the opportunity that many of her alumni at the Academy had already experienced: drawing and painting full time where she could experiment with new materials, methods, and subject matter on her own schedule & in many different directions. With the wide-spread use of acrylic paints in the 80's & 90's, colors were more vibrant compared to oils and she had more flexibility in drying times and flow rates. And incorporating her earlier experience with water colors, pastels, charcoal, as well as, oils, she could now go artistically just about anywhere she chose to go.