Kay grew up in Maryland with a brother who was “the artist” in the family, so she never explored her abilities until she retired. Her NSA career in software development and contract management with lots of travel left little time to explore art, and her second career as an executive recruiter in Silicon Valley left even less.
When she met her future husband and was able to retire to Arizona in 2001, Kay’s art life began. She saw the beautiful purple shadows of Diana Madaras’ art in the Tucson airport and declared, “That is what I want to do!” Kay taught herself the basics of watercolor and then took many classes. She even wound up working for Diana part time to learn about the “behind the scenes” of a gallery. Kay was juried into the Southern Arizona Watercolor Guild in 2003 with a dog portrait. She is now known around her community as the pet portrait lady. When she is not painting or doing her SAWG work, she plays golf and tennis, exercises and studies Spanish. Kay is married to Riley Jackson and has a kitty named Callie.
Kay has served on the board or as chair person in the following organizations:
SaddleBrooke Fine Arts Guild – President, VP, Treasurer, Secretary, Education Chair and Show Chair
SaddleBrooke Tennis Club – Secretary, Treasurer
Spanish Culture Club – Current President
SAWG – Current President, Western Fed Delegate, Workshop Registrar and Show Chair
Artist Statement
"After escaping the frenetic work world of Silicon Valley, I finally had time to learn about watercolor – a medium which I fell in love with thirty years ago, long before I became an artist. I took my first drawing class, sponsored by the SaddleBrooke Fine Art Guild, in 2001. Now, after many classes, I am able to enjoy painting fearlessly. I love to paint my watercolor pet portraits, but I like to balance that with painting architecture, landscapes, florals and abstract experimental works using collage and acrylic mediums.”
