Naomi Brotherton passed away peacefully on May 12, 2024, at the age of 104. Her fascination for drawing and painting has not diminished since she began at age 6. Although Macular Degeneration has plagued her eyesight for several years, her passion to paint pushes her through to continue painting her masterpieces; “No retirement for me, thank you”, says Naomi.
Her acclaims are many. Among them is her earned privilege of Signature member of Southwestern Watercolor Society (SWS), National Watercolor Oklahoma (NOW), Texas Watercolor Society (TWS), and Western Federation of Watercolor Societies (WFWS). To earn a “Signature” status with these organizations requires multiple acceptances to that society’s exhibitions. Having just one such Signature acclimate is a major accomplishment but Naomi’s work has earned her a place in 4; quite a testament to the talent and gifting of Naomi.
Naomi’s Story – Naomi’s first recollection of art instruction was at age 6. Her parents would put a pencil and paper in her hand to keep her quiet during church and a lady sitting next to her showed her how to draw wavy hair. Drawing became her main interest in school.
Naomi sought and accomplished her Art Degree at Baylor but was enthusiastic and took many more art classes than were required for her degree. From Baylor she started working in commercial art, a direction of pursuit for about 25 years. This included a stint in NYC where she attended the Art Students League for a couple of years and painted / exhibited in Carnegie Hall.
Watercolor is her preferred medium and through the years she has attended workshops taught by some of the best nationally known watercolorists.
Because of Naomi’s attained expertise with watercolor, a book, “Variations in Watercolor”, was written about Naomi’s work. It was sold through a national art book club, resulting in invitations that allowed her to see much of the USA and Bermuda as she traveled to teach her ways with watercolor.
As you can see from Naomi’s story, she has painted most of her life and spent the last 33 years sharing Artisan’s Studio/Gallery as her home base for teaching and creativity. Naomi had her last Artist Reception at Giddens Gallery when she was 99 years old. She continued to paint and had a limited stash of work that is now being made available at Giddens Gallery of Fine Art in Grapevine, Tx. Not only is her art work accredited and in the upper echelon of gifted artists but is an excellent ‘Fine Art’ investment.
