Saturday, February 9, 2019
This week I was saddened to learn that of the most influential people in my life had passed. Betty "Kepka" Belton was my art teacher from 1979-1988 when I graduated. Wilson was truly lucky to have such an amazing woman as the art teacher. Her class was always the highlight of my day and one of the few places I felt free to be myself. Betty was a quirky and energetic free spirit who not only encouraged her students to free their minds and express themselves but was a vibrant, living, breathing example of what that could look like. Her classroom was always packed to the brim with a menagerie of eclectic and interesting things she would collect for us to study, draw, or draw inspiration from. Her enthusiasm was abundantly clear and often contagious as she would immerse herself and her students in whatever artist, art from or technique she was currently fascinated by. It was this charisma and enthusiasm that kept me enthralled and ultimately prepared me to the point that I was well ahead of my peers when I went to college to study art. Betty not only taught me to paint, draw, work with clay, and decorate kraslice but showed me what it looked like when someone wasn't afraid to live their truth and be their true self. Always a good sport and source of inspiration Betty Belton was my first mentor and she will be truly missed by the many students she taught and especially by me. Thank you for the inspiration, education and the many many good times, I'm sure you're hard at work reshaping your little corner of heaven to reflect who you are and how you see the world.
