Betty Dye began teaching simple drawing lessons to young children at a private school in Anchorage, Alaska in 1988 and discovered that she loved it. She continued teaching drawing and other mediums at Blaines Art Supply for the next 10 years to children and adults, and then began teaching from her home/studio in 1998 and The Art House was born!
“Any one of my six sisters would tell you that I have been creating things with my hands since I was a very young child.
I was born and grew up in Portugal where my parents were Evangelical missionaries for 35 years. I love the wonderful Portuguese people, their culture, beautiful folk art, music, and the gorgeous and diverse landscape that is encompassed in this tiny westernmost country of continental Europe. I attended a British school there, St. Julian’s, through age 15 and then was homeschooled through the American School of Chicago until graduation from High School. I moved to the states to study Art at Bethel University in St. Paul, MN, where I also met my husband Dan. We both graduated with art degrees in 1980 and I went back to Portugal as a missionary to work as a graphic designer there for one year in a Christian publishing house. Dan returned to his home here in Alaska to get a job. We were married the following year and after 3 years in Anchorage we returned to Portugal together to work as graphic artists, a wonderful experience we will never forget! We have lived in Anchorage since then, raising our three children here and feeling very privileged to be a part of this community and this beautiful state. In 2008 I returned to Portugal for a month with one of my sisters, Ruth, to teach free art workshops for children and adults, who otherwise would not have this opportunity, working with Evangelical pastors there who are close family friends.
You will notice a crazy diversity of mediums in the photos in my gallery. These are all the things I love to do so I included them to give you a better picture of who I am. Most artists love to do many things so I am not unique in that respect!
Making art has provided me, since my earliest childhood years, with a deep satisfaction that is quite hard to explain. It is something that is always there for you, on the sunny happy days and also the cloudy sad days of life. A simple sketching experience can lift your spirits and give you a new “can do” attitude towards other parts of your life. This is what I would most love to pass on to my students!
Observing the incredible natural beauty in our world always confirms my conviction that we were created in the image of a wonderful Sovereign God. Our endeavors to create can be expressions of worship to the One who created us.”
*** Photos above: With Finn, our Airedale puppy; with Dan in Cascais, Portugal; working on one of three window paintings for our church, Chapel by the Sea, here in Anchorage.
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