NOPG Member Gallery Wanda’s influence regarding her paintings has been Martin Heade one of the Hudson River School painters.  Like Martin Heade, she has a varied body of work that reflects a wide range of subject matter.  She first became aware of Martin Heade when her daughter asked if she could paint her a picture of a Magnolia like one she saw of Heade’s.  She became obsessed with painting Magnolias and has completed many different ones.  Her first marine painting was for her son’s home who lives on the Sound near Seattle.  When she sees something that inspires her, she gets out her brushes and dives in. Recently she was inspired by a painting done by Walter Rane who does biblical paintings and adapted one he painted to one that was more scriptural. Most of her work depicts something dramatic or peaceful whether it is an animal,  landscape, or flower. When she took paintings to the Birdfest Festival in Ridgefield, Washington, she took birds, usually in unique poses. One of her most detailed paintings was from a photograph of a canyon in Wyoming with complex rocks combining reflections in water and sky. When she is not painting, you can usually find her out with her camera looking for subject matter.  She was commissioned by the manager of the apartment complex where she lives to paint a Green Winged Teal Duck for the Clubhouse at Teal Pointe Apartments.  Wanda has only been painting since her retirement in 2005 except for a stint more than 40 years ago to try out some paints she had bought for her husband because she felt he had artistic talent.  She enjoys the subtleties of changing color and light to form curves in blossoms to lead the eye through the composition. With no formal training, Wanda captures the beauty of nature mostly through prayer.