I would like to paint like the old masters

Artwork by Sallie Day Mogerman

My older sister was our family artist. Thinking (erroneously) that there could be only one per family, I spent my youth pursuing Literature. While Dortha was studying portrait painting with a master portraitist I was striving for a Masters in English Lit. But when I saw the beautiful paintings she was producing, I thought, “Hey, I can do that!” And I finished the semester and left the masters program.

I began driving 200 miles one day a week to Kansas City from Lake Saint Louis Missouri to study with Harry Fredman at his studio. I would spend the night at my sister’s house in K.C. and drive back home to Lake Saint Louis the next day.

I did this for nine years until Harry retired a second time (in his first life he had had a very successful studio in New York City. After retiring from that, he returned home to K.C. and began teaching.) My dear husband supported my endeavor completely and didn’t offer a word of complaint when I put over 100,000 miles on three cars!

For the past 15 years, I have been painting portraits at the Foundry Art Centre in Saint Charles, Missouri. But I am rarely satisfied with my work. I want to produce something better. I would like to paint like the old masters.

sallieday.com