Student wins best of show

© Glendalyn Doom Specht – Lees Ferry: The Start of an Adventure

"My most influential instructors have been Dale Popovich, watercolorist and Jon McDonald, Illustration and Medical Illustration. I love to work in watercolor more than any other medium because of the freedom and movement of the paint and water, and because of the magic that happens as it dries."
– Glendalynn Doorn-Specht

#Glendalyyn Doorn-Specht won Best of Show at the 2014 Michigan Artist Competition. back in June.
Glendalynn had attended my night classes at the American Academy of Art with her mom in the 80s. She had a demanding fulltime job at Leo Burnett as a media buyer, but had an intense passion for learning and art. She took part-time fundamentals classes on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, and I found her to be a very good draft person with a strong desire to learn how to #DrawAndPaint. Some 30 years later, after raising a family, she again contacted me at my studio to pick up #DrawingAndPainting. She's taking classes with me at the Palette & Chisel in Chicago and has also attended classes in my private studio in my home. After several months of working hard she received the first place award at The 2014 Michigan Artists Competition. Glendalynn's contact email is [email protected].

• Title: Lees Ferry: The Start of an Adventure
• Medium: Watercolor on 300lb Arches
• Artist Description: Glendalynn shared with me that the painting was referenced from a photo taken by her friend and fellow hiker, Mike Buchheit, Director of the Grand Canyon Field Institute. 
She said Arizona’s Grand Canyon holds a special place in her heart –"When I am there, I am home.  As a hiker and backpacker, I have been on the well-traversed corridor trails, and also on some of the more isolated back country trails in the Canyon. I have also enjoyed a white water adventure starting from Lees Ferry. This painting captures the feeling of pure awe and anticipation that I felt getting into the boat that would take me on an 8-day journey into the heart of that amazing Grand Canyon."
• The Award: Award was a cash award, part of which went to The Grand Canyon Association.
• Biography: Glendalynn Doorn-Specht, NCTM

• While currently residing in Michigan, Glendalynn Doorn-Specht is a native Chicagoan, and Chicago is where her heart will always be. She is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music with a private music studio near Gull Lake in Southwest Michigan. Glendalynn has had the privilege of studying the visual arts at the American Academy of Art and The Palette and Chisel in Chicago, and at Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Her most influential instructors have been Dale Popovich and Jon McDonald. When she is not busy with the visual arts or with all things musical, she is running, hiking, backpacking, or kayaking.

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