Florine Duffield has lived in Sun City since 1999. Her father moved there in the 1970s, so she visited over the years and then moved permanently. Her career began as a model, actress and singer in New York City. She has operated commercial photography and fine art studios in Dallas, Texas, New York City, Arizona and England. Her education began at Queens College and New York University in New York City, Elkins Institute, Dallas, and at the Arvon Foundation in England

Ms. Duffield has been an accomplished photographer since the 1960s. She captured images of mostly portraits but also landscapes and nature scenes. Since Covid, she photographs on location and is available for portraits at outdoor venues.

The art and photography at the Fairway Recreation Center were created and donated by Ms. Duffield. These images were made as she traveled all over the state of Arizona and can be enjoyed by visiting the center at 10600 W. Peoria Ave., Sun City.

Ms. Duffield has added oil painting to her expertise. She uses her photography skills to capture a well-composed photo of either a portrait or a still life with flowers. She also enjoys subjects from nature like birds and butterflies and her favorite pet parrot, Max. Then she transforms the photo into an oil painting on linen or wood panels. During quarantine she continued to hone her skills through online classes. Now that Phase 2 has been reached she has resumed classes at Artists by the Lake.

Ms. Duffield always tries to capture the spirit of the model in her portraits. When she translates them from photo to painting, the integrity of the subject’s energy is shown through color and brush strokes. The background around the figure is an integral part of the completed artwork, where more information is given about the subject.

Ms. Duffield has shown her work at The Sun City Art Show and won Judges Choice in 2020. Her work was juried into shows at The West Valley Arts Council, West Valley Art Museum, Surprise City Hall Art Gallery, WHAM in Surprise and the Glendale Art Show. Her work was accepted into the Arizona Artists Guild juried exhibition 2020. Her work can be viewed at FlorineDuffield.com and FlorineDuffield.artistwebsites.com.

Ms. Duffield is a member of Artists by the Lake and Palo Verde Art Club. To join Artists by the Lake, stop by the art room 9 a.m.-noon Monday through Wednesday, on the second floor at Lakeview center, 10626 W. Thunderbird Road, Sun City. Small classes are held at this time for RCSC card holdering member.

Email debdahlinart@yahoo.com.