A native of Liverpool, England, Sheila arrived in the U.S. in 1950 for her marriage to her G.I. fiancé and has lived in California since that date. After raising their two children she returned to performing art, which she had loved since a small child, and continued to perform until 1984 when she moved to Santa Barbara.
 
She discovered fine art after taking her first class with Tony Askew at “Arts Ascent” under the trees at Westmont….. an idyllic setting for a lesson in art.  The next step was to enroll in Adult Ed classes at Schott and Wake Centers and to study with many outstanding art instructors and she received great support from fellow artists.
 
In 1996 she joined 11 other artists in establishing Step One Art Gallery, a non-profit organization, in Carpinteria and served as Board Member for a number of years and as President for two years.  The goal was to create a Center for the Arts in Carpinteria and and a group of enthusiastic citizens formed Carpinteria Valley Arts Council.
 
The direction of Step One Gallery changed in 2006 when it was decided to establish “Artists of Step One”, a non-profit organization dedicated to creating venues for art shows and supporting local artists.
 
Sheila has received awards for her art over the years and is a member of Artists of Step One, Goleta Valley Art Association and is a board member of Santa Barbara Visual Arts, (www.sbva.org.) a website featuring many South and Central Coast organizations.
 
Further information: Call 805-563-1922 or Sheila@webglow.com