I am primarily a mixed media artist and drawing is what I prefer over painting; but, I do love the texture of paint. When I'm drawing or painting, I try to capture excitement in my subject; but equally important is the effect of natural light or the light source on my subject. I usually start off with a lot of sketches and drawings. Many of these sketches plot out the path of light on my subject. I prefer ink drawing by itself, but through years of practice, I've really trained myself in the medium of Prismacolor pencils and using a variety of art techniques to make them blend effortlessly. That's something I've really wanted to master and I think I am closing in on that goal. Most people see me as primarily an art educator and I’ve spent 28 of my years at West Ouachita High School in Ouachita Parish. I currently have work on display of my youngest son, Michael. He was very active and I always tried out projects at home before introducing them to my students. He was my subject for a unit on foreshortening. I wanted to invade the viewer’s space without too much distortion. Michael literally crawled toward me on the floor and that pic sparked my next creative endeavor. “Mom, Can You See Me Now? Is a mixed media art work. I worked with acrylic paint and prismacolor together in this piece. The background is based totally in acrylic with prismacolor lines breaking up the solidness of the blue. Michael’s hands are based in acrylic paint with prismacolor detailing. I am an artist that loves a challenge and this is one work that shows I will try what works for the artistic goal. Michele Whitley Olinde