Meet the Artist - Corrine Gilman

 Hi Everyone, (Karen here) welcome to our second artist profile!

Allow me to introduce one of the few MMSA swappers I've had the pleasure of meeting in person!

Not only is Corrine a talented artist and teacher, she is a frequent swapper and an incredibly supportive and generous member of the on-line art community.  And she is just as lovely, warm and funny in person as she is in the blogosphere.

But I will let her tell her own story...

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Corrine Gilman

I am 57 years old - really????

Husband the Superhero 67, Son Jay 26

West Boxford, Massachusetts

profession:  artist, rock obstacle mover and manufacturer's rep

Web:  www.sparkledaysstudio.com where links to everything else are...

1956 to 1974 - only wild Pisces child of perfectionist highly crafty Virgo mother. Child who loves to color outside the lines, follow no rules, answer to no authority - truly loved but life is never smooth and easy because I never find perfect......never am perfect. Like that time I went sliding down a mud hill in my new hand made by my Mother Easter dress - well you get the picture.

1974-1978 attend Simmons College and study communications - fall in love with my major, do goofy movie for my

film class(take off on the Killer Beas from SNL) - offBeat weirdness front and center even then.  Want to be a journalist but afraid to step out so pick safety in public relations and management.

1978-1996 get jobs in printing companies, get married, have my wonderful son Jay, get divorced, single Mom for 5 years and meet the love of my life on a blind date and re-marry.  Start our company from nothing and work crazy part time jobs until we get to eat from what we earn as manufacturer's reps in the office furniture industry.  But still fun because we work with interior designers and architects and rep cool furniture....

1996 move to our cottage in the woods on a pond...spend a bunch of time as boy scout leader, gardening and accumulating rescue pets. Work in our business full time but from home so I can be a Mom. Make crafts but not much else.

July 5, 2007 our wedding anniversary write my first blog post....connect...find like minded women making amazing things and am hooked.  Begin making art, try not to suck as Karen says, keep going.  

2007-Present  attend Squam Art Retreat and change my whole way of thinking about who I am and what it means to be an artist.  Create more and more and more and find my voice within the process.  Sign up for Teacher Training and Creative Juices Arts in California and spend a year becoming an Intuitive Painting Facilitator.  Open a studio and Karen Isaacson is my first ever student - wonderful experience. Mail art becomes a part of my life and still is thanks to Karen and MMSA

But the economy is not so hot, open smaller studio, teach for another year but feel my real heart is in creating.  Go to Art-Is-You retreat and meet the most amazing talented women and have another euraka experience about who I am as an artist and what I want to be doing.  Close studio in March 2013, get accepted into the Vintage Bazaar to have a booth, start painting like a crazy maniac, still painting like a crazy maniac every day on everything, wood, recycled stuff, canvas, whatever shows up -  in my basement studio and loving every minute of honing my craft and staying to to my own voice. Find extreme joy in the process and connecting always with my friends in the ether.

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Be sure to visit Corrine's blog to be inspired by her beautiful words and art, and say hello while you're there!

Meanwhile, consider sending me your own story so that I can share it here with others.
Write it anyway you want (don't feel you need to create a timeline) and share as much or as little information as you wish.
Check out the "artist profile" tab at the top of the page for more info and for links to all past (and future) profiles.