DOMINICAN INSTITUTE
FOR THE ARTS
Rena Ruddy OP
All my life I have been interested in art shows which have given me great enthusiasm for many kinds of art.
One summer after teaching for two years, I attended a six week art class at Calvin College on how to teach art such as water color, motion, ceramics, and several designs which I used during my teaching days. Art was a part of the curriculum that the homeroom teacher was expected to teach. There were no special art teachers in most of the schools where I taught.
On my sabbatical from 1997-1998, I had the great privilege of doing art as an extra enjoyment. I did many drawings with pencil, chalks, and paintings with water colors.
In September 2009 while working as a Director of Christian Service at St. Matthias parish in Sterling Heights, I began two years of acrylic painting classes from Mr. Angeline at the Senior Citizen Center in Sterling Heights, Michigan. This was the beginning of my deep interest in acrylic painting which I continue to this day.
My interest in arranging silk flowers came when my partner at St. Anne School in Warren, Michigan worked at her brother’s flower shop. She showed me many tips for arranging silk flowers. I began with making arrangements for Christmas and birthday gifts twenty years ago. Somehow, with the interest of people, it has continued to grow into the present time.
First and foremost, I grew up in a family of artists. As a child, my parents bought containers of paints for me to do water color paintings. For Christmas, they purchased books of pictures to paint. Drawing pictures was also something I did during my school days.