Mickie Storckman’s artwork in watercolor.
Mickie Storckman’s artwork in scratchboard.
Nancy Friedman
Mickie moved all the way from Gilbert, Ariz., to Robson Ranch about 10 years ago, because of all the organized activities like pickleball, tennis, golf, and other clubs. Prior to living in Gilbert for 13 years, she also resided in Illinois and Indiana during which most of her career was spent in the field of computer programming; she later worked in securities and investments.
Before moving to Arizona, she took some oil painting classes from an artist who would paint a sample picture, then walk her class through the steps to paint their own masterpiece. In recent years, Mickie has taken a variety of classes from the Art Institute of the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum. She learned to love oils, but now also enjoys color pencil, scratch art, gourds, ceramics, and glass.
Mickie states, “Unlike most of the people in the Art Guild, I do not view myself as an artist. I just do things I enjoy doing and do them for myself.” She explained that she doesn’t keep everything she does, but she judges her work by how she feels about it, not by the judgments of others. She trashes what she doesn’t like.
When asked how she feels when working on a piece of artwork, she responded that going into “the zone” is when she does her best work. Although she commented that she often goes to the studio just to hear and see what others are doing, which often gives her “a way of opening my mind to new ideas.”
Mickie feels she will probably be a member of the Fine Arts Guild as long as she lives at Robson Ranch, which is just great since she has volunteered to be a monitor on Saturday afternoons, taught a scratchboard class, and is the Member at Large on the Fine Arts Guild board. The members of the Fine Arts Guild appreciate her stepping up to help the club. Unfortunately, Mickie was not available for a photograph, but we were able to get a couple of photographs of her work.