Dee Edwards has been named May’s artist of the month by the Palo Verde Artists.  

Edwards has always been inspired by art and began drawing when she young. She was born in Troy, NY and lived there until moving to Arizona in 1979. Soon after, she met her husband Rick and raised her family in the Phoenix area. Both of her sons also love art, and one of them now draws comics. In 2012, she took a six-week watercolor workshop from the Shimer Institute where she discovered how vibrant water color can be and what depth there could be to this medium.

Edwards now belongs to Palo Verde Artists and Artists by the Lake. It was there she learned the basics of color theory, composition, brush strokes, layering, complementary colors and more. 

One of her favorite painters is Thomas Schaller, who is an architect and paints buildings. Edwards loves to do evening scenes with light, the moon, streetlights, shadows, rain reflections and urban sketching. Because she grew up in New York, she especially loves to paint as if she is looking into or out of windows.

Since her husband works nights, it is then that Edwards puts music on and paints. And she paints every day. She has a routine practice she follows and puts out paper for several pictures at a time. As one dries, she works on the next. Beginning with a light undercoat she builds up layers light to dark, sometimes using different techniques such as a shaking on a bit of salt or splashing water on the undercoat for the build-up. And last of all, she paints the final details.

“I’m never sure if it’s going to come out or not. And then it surprises me when it does,” Edwards said,

Edwards recently won a first and second place for two of her pictures in the Palo Verde spring art show and sale. Her advice to those that want to start painting is to find out what they love to do and then do it.

Asked if she has a favorite picture, Edwards says, “Every new one I’ve done becomes my favorite.”

View some of Edwards’ art throughout the month of May in the cases outside the Palo Verde Artists room in the Sundial Recreation Center, 14801 N. 103 Ave. Membership in this club is $10 a year and is open to RCSC cardholders.

Visit paloverdeartists.com for more information.