ABOVE: “Turtle Time”, Watercolor // The original 12”x9” was painted 11/13/2017 and sold. The technique used was to paint the background wet using water on the paper, but not disturb the dry painted turtles.

Creativity has been part of Delia’s life since her youth, but mostly expressed in musical activities, such as, singing in church choirs, community choral groups, and by playing the piano and organ during high school. She never really drew anything as a child, and as a teenager, decided art wasn’t her talent. She didn’t discover her artistic abilities until after retirement!

In May 2013, Delia discovered a watercolor class at City Lights Art Gallery in Henderson, NV and decided to give it a try. Her instructor, Ed Klein, was encouraging and helpful in showing Delia the basics of watercolor painting. Since then, she has been painting in the watercolor class and learning by doing. She loves using bright colors and painting whimsical pictures that she is putting into an in-progress children’s book of paintings with poems. She has discovered that using a finer quality of paint on high quality paper enables her more flexibility when doing finishing touches or making corrections. Delia also paints watercolors on Yupo, a 100% Polypropylene smooth finish sheet that provides special challenges and advantages.

Delia’s watercolor creations are unique and varied in subject matter. She enjoys painting animals and faces most of all, finding inspiration in nature and photographs. She also likes doing crafts such as painting with acrylics on glass vases and bottles, wooden crosses, and other objects.

For other creative outlets, Delia designed and made stained-glass windows for an 1887 Victorian home in Pasadena, California. She also had a potter’s wheel and threw pots and bowls making many gift items but decided that wearing thin the skin on her fingers was not her idea of fun. She then turned her attention to doing calligraphy, and later to cake decorating until the freezer was full of cakes and friends hollered stop!

She currently serves on the City Lights Art Gallery board, writes poems, designs computer graphics, sings, and performs four-part harmony with a quartet and a Sweet Adeline chorus.

ABOVE: “Who?”, Watercolor  //  The original art is 10”x14” cropped to fit a 9×11” frame, painted 11/25/2017. The eyes are expressive and looking right at you!

Where did you grow up? What things were you actively involved in?
I was born in Los Angeles and moved to Glendale, California where I attended the 4th grade through high school and Junior College. I sang in the Choir in high school, college and church. I loved to play the piano for a couple of hours daily, took organ lessons, and learned to play swing and jazz music. I also played tennis, was in the drill team, played flute and percussion in the orchestra, and participated in girls athletics. After college, I served for two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in India.

Did you always want to be an artist?
No. I tried to draw the face of child actress, Haylee Mills, when I was about 13, but couldn’t do it to my satisfaction. My father, a technical illustrator, told me I wasn’t observing the photo accurately and that’s why I wasn’t drawing it correctly. I understood him, but still couldn’t do it, so I gave up.

ABOVE:  “Floral Rhapsody”, Watercolor  //  A watercolor painted 3/28/17; size 14”x11.” Note, this painting is on YUPO “paper” which isn’t paper at all. It is 100% Polypropylene, or a plastic-like slick surface. It has hidden fairy faces in some of the flowers. 

Did you always want to be an artist?
No. I tried to draw the face of child actress, Haylee Mills, when I was about 13, but couldn’t do it to my satisfaction. My father, a technical illustrator, told me I wasn’t observing the photo accurately and that’s why I wasn’t drawing it correctly. I understood him, but still couldn’t do it, so I gave up.

When did you first know you had
talent? On May 15, 2013, I attended my first class at City Lights Art Gallery with Ed Klein. He showed me how to draw a hacienda and how to paint it. The experience was very positive and confidence building. I was amazed that I could actually do it!

LEFT: “Tagg”, Watercolor  //  A service dog that my friend raised and trained. This was the second dog Delia ever painted, 2/1/15; size 15”x12.” Delia was learning how to use several colors on the dog and still have him look natural.

CENTER: “Lion Fish”, Watercolor  //  Painted on YUPO on 10/7/14. Size 9” x 12.” The watercolor paint puddles on the plastic sheet and dries. With a wet brush, the lion fish was pulled out of the background freehand while the background was still damp.

RIGHT: “Like Mother, Like Daughter”, Watercolor  //  Size 12”x9” and finished on 3/27/2018. It is painted with a dry brush technique on watercolor paper. Delia was trying to apply many colors to the faces yet have them look natural.

Who influenced you?

All the artists and teachers at the Gallery have influenced me and given me encouragement to continue painting.

What inspires you?

I’m inspired by other artists’ work. Then I seek to create my own art.

Why did you pick the medium of watercolor?

I love watercolors because they are transparent, colorful, and easy to use. Paintings with oils and acrylics tend to look “heavy” because they often have more paint on the surface, and they are often darker than watercolors. I enjoy the lightness of watercolors and the brightness of the colors as they blend together.

What makes a painting great instead of average?

In my opinion, a great painting must be well executed and also must communicate with the viewer. If the viewer is moved emotionally when viewing the painting, and if he can relate to it on some level, then that makes it a great painting.

Of all your works, do you have a favorite?

Yes. I actually have several favorites for different reasons.

Where can someone view your art?

I post my art on my Facebook page in a photo album called Watercolors, and also on my site at DeliaPriceArt.com.

If someone would like to purchase one of your paintings, how can they contact you? I may be contacted through my website, on Facebook Messenger, and via email at Hyprice@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2018 issue of CHOICES Magazine