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As a young girl, I delighted in filling spiral notebooks with my pencil sketches, stories and poetry.
For several decades after college, my creative side took a back seat while I focused on climbing the corporate ladder. Until one day I realized that I was trying so hard to be "one of the guys" that I
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couldn't remember what it felt like to be myself. So I followed the longings of my heart and returned to my creative roots.
I picked up my pen and words spilled onto the page—lots of them. I was inspired to start a local magazine and served as editor/publisher for five years.
One blustery afternoon I sat in my backyard and asked, "Where does the wind come from?" Much to my surprise, an entire story flashed before my eyes. I dashed inside to write it down. Before long I held in my hands the completed manuscript for my children's book, The Lion, the Wind and Mariah.
Now my days are filled with the joy and fulfillment of writing and painting.
The novelist Willa Cather said, "If you're an artist and you want to get steadily better at your craft, you need to continually refine your approach to telling the truth." Her words go to the heart of what I attempt to reach through my writing and painting—the truth, as purely and honestly as I can express it.
When I stand in front of a blank canvas, my senses expand and I experience the world in greater detail, richer texture and more subtle nuances. I love watching those images and emotions flow through my brush onto the canvas.
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KATHIE MARTIN OSSEGE is an artist, award-winning writer and full-time student of life. She lives in Cincinnati, OH, with husband Greg and two standard poodles, Barley and Angelique. She enjoys spending time with her grandchildren who remind her to observe the small wonders in everyday life.
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