I was born in Chicago, reared in Chicago, a product of Chicago Schools. Carl Schurz High School, Wilbur Wright Jr. College and a graduate of The American Academy of Art with degrees in Advertising Art and Illustration.
I worked as a cost accountant in outside paper stock control at Montgomery Wards Chicago Avenue facility for 10 years. Got married to Harry Lai, a successful artist with Acme Studio, and a direct presentation art studio.
I was Harry's apprentice, did all the estimating, took care of the books, had a son Edward. Had 29 years of great happiness…. Became a pen lettering expert, silk screen cutter and paint mixer and a display expert on folding portable displays for direct presentation.
But all good things have to take a turn at one time or another. Harry suddenly passed away, and I became an instant widow. We closed the studio, transferred our clients to a fellow studio and went to the American Academy of Art as a full time student after being out of school for nearly 25 years; it was a terrifying experience. My husband had made me promise to go to art school, because I had "terrible perspective" Well I don’t take promises lightly so here I was trying to get to school every morning with loads of art materials. Well, the LaSalle street bus is impossible at 8:30 A.M. at Huron Street it’s to crowded. So the new plan was to start off at 6:00 A.M. every morning the plan worked, but I was left with 3 hours to kill each morning. The plan evolved that I got a folding stool, a giant sketchpad and sketch, sketch, and sketch. Well there was a construction site at the corner of LaSalle and Adams, so I set up and sketched everything in sight.
The construction crew liked what I did; the Supervisor gave me a hard hat and allowed me to sketch on site.
The structural steel workers, shared pictures, adopted me and an antidote, became a familiar sight on site. Was spotted by Barbara Brotman who was a neighborhood reporter with the Chicago Tribune. She wrote a piece on me, was seen by a member of the editorial group and had an interview and a piece in the Realty section. Well the Tribune’s 2 on 2 got interested and did an in depth TV interview, even came up to the American Academy of Art classrooms and got the model with a bathing suit on, but showed my life drawing in the nude.
In following the owner of the 190 S. La Salle building, John Buck has been kind enough to allow me on his sites with the approval of the main contractors I have grown in the field of On Site Art in construction, have free lanced at several sites have something of a self imposed apprenticeship for 9 years, have gained the respect of many trades and workers. I’ve had people come up to me and re-introduce themselves, tell me they have the picture I did of their groups…how glad they are that someone has documented their work and activities to show their families and friends that they really have real trade talents that up to now have simply been a laborer’s without skills.
Channel 9 featured me on Chicago’s Very own, loved the little steps I take to endure the cold winters and blowing conditions that one encounters on a construction site. They loved the garbage bag that keeps the wind off and allows me not to freeze. The bunge cord that keeps my easel to be blown away. It takes a lot to survive.but perceverence pays off, for each trade has it’s own work belt, tools and the stance they carry themselves with exhibits the necessary physical stance they need to carry out everyday practices.
Living on freelance reproductions is pretty tough, but I’ve picked a field with few competitors. My in depth research is the joy of the Chicagoland Construction Safety Council, who in 1990 requested to display my works, who undertook to frame my works and exhibit them in their classrooms and offices, where they pore over the pictures and marvel at the depth and details that are the displayed in each picture and trade.
I am the only "On Site construction artist" listed by the City Of Chicago certification Purchasing Department roster with WBE/MBE certification.
Every year I turn out a 14 month calendar with the year’s documentation, with ChicagoLand Construction Safety Council’s help and pass them out at the yearly Construction Safety Council Conference where I get to exhibit my giant prints of my works and present myself to get commissions.
I am a member of the Subcontractors association, who trade off for membership displays and dinner meetings, where I can display my wares, meet and greet members and show off my wares. A female without engineering or architectural certification is greeted with many skepticisms…. With every picture I create I also fit in the adjacent architecture that will be built over and never seen again. Architects pore over them trying to see if I left off some insignificant building, but I strive to make my picture the "real" view.