Meet Jody Ball | Fine Artist and Full Time RVer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jody Ball and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jody, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?

As a little child, drawing is an activity that has always been a part of me. I remember the excitement of seeing Santa leave a chalk board with colored chalk under the Christmas tree. I remember my favorite coloring book and wish I still had it! As a very opinionated kindergartener, I did not like the fat and hard to handle set of 8 crayons that were a required in order to color in class, I wanted my Crayola crayons. You could not stay in the lines with those fat crayons!

At the age of eight years old and because I was constantly coloring and drawing, my parents enrolled me in art lessons from the prominent local artist in my hometown of Mason, Ohio. We had lessons in the studio, but we also went outside to paint. It was a thrill to go out into the fields and paint like a real artist! This was my first plein air painting experience and I still have that old original painting. I remember my first drawing lesson, “shadows” in the front yard of my teacher’s home and still have those drawings, primitive as they may be.

As time passed, I took high school art all four years which included painting and pottery. I married my high school sweetheart the summer after graduation and stayed home raising our children. This was the time when most other girls were pursuing a career, but we decided motherhood was the most important “career” for our little family.

My art never left me though. I drew pictures and embroidered samplers and decorated the baby nursery with it all. I painted little things like pictures on the lids of baskets for people to supplement our family grocery bill. I painted crafts made out of wood that my husband cut out which we sold at craft fairs. I also painted stage back drops for plays at our church and the backdrop once for our annual home town summer festival!

With all of that said and even though art never left my life, I held off doing anything for myself professionally until my children were out of high school in the 1990s. I remember walking into art stores and seeing all of the wonderful supplies. Not knowing what to do with them, I decided to take classes at the Middletown (Ohio) Fine Arts Center to find out what it was all about. I took drawing classes to understand pencil and pastel and took a couple of portrait classes. I won the “People’s Choice Award” at the first exhibit there I had ever entered. I didn’t even know there was a People’s Choice Award or what it was!

The word “career” doesn’t really describe me, because art is an inborn passion. I would like to think that every artist in any medium might agree with that statement. Art is a gift from God, woven into who we are. It is how we are made and how we think. We look at the world differently. We dissect what we see in the world and decide how to rebuild it in our minds in order to recreate it. Personally, it may not always be as relaxing or as pleasant a task as some might imagine. It is hard work, at least it is for me, but at other times it is pure elation and joy!

For the past ten years, I have been blessed to have my very own studio where I could paint and draw and do commission work creating all types of visual art for others. I held lots of paint parties and held classes teaching drawing and painting. Hundreds of folks of all ages have come to my studio to learn and have fun. Last year we sold our lovely country home and studio and are now full time RVers! Our children are married and have our grandchildren. They have moved to other parts of the country and since we like to travel, selling our home and traveling full time for a while fits our needs just fine. I have most of my art supplies and am able to paint and do commission work. I have been very busy this way. God has certainly been so good to me.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Representational art might be the best way to describe my work. I thrive on the details and work hard to get a painting to be where I want it to go. I find I have a style, which took me some time to discover. Many times I try to work outside of that style but find myself coming back to those fine details. So that must be who I am and I tell myself “just accept who you are in your style!” When doing commission work, I know the client must like my style or they would not have hired me for the job. That makes it a little easier. Easy is not a goal that I am seeking though, I like a good challenge!

I am thankful to have obtained so many opportunities which is part of my story. Each step was built on the previous while learning along the way. Developing relationships and making friends while teaching wonderful people of all backgrounds has been the icing on the cake.

I did not attend art school and am mainly self taught though I have taken occasional art classes and attended several workshops taught by other professional artists. Being passionate about a subject is also an asset that gives you the ability to study and learn with never ending vigor!

Teaching art to both young children and older adults was very fulfilling in my life. I pray it helped them as much as it helped me. Most likely someday I will be teaching again!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Nature parks and picnics are my favorite way to enjoy a good meal. Loving the peacefulness of the outdoors, I would make a picnic lunch of fried chicken and potato salad and take my friends to mountains. We have had the blessing of visiting the Rockies many times over the years. All of Colorado is so lovely and the mountains are so majestic! The eastern mountains are just as beautiful in their sweet Americana way. They are also slightly easier to navigate pulling a travel trailer as we have found out!

We have taken our time viewing our beautiful country from the road. It is wonderful to see the unique ways of life that the wonderful folks with their unique cultural ways have to offer. You can’t learn that from the air, a book, or the TV, it has to be done in person on the ground!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I dedicate this shout out to my husband Ray. He always has my back. He is my advisor and art critic (when asked!) and waits oh, so patiently for me as we wander through this life together. I am also very thankful to God for giving me this gift. As the great Creator He has imparted a small part of His ability to create into us, His creation. That is a very humbling thought to me.

Website: www.jodyballart.com

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