Patrycia Ann Herndon was born on a cotton farm in East Texas, a long way from an art gallery or an art supply store. She was, however, a regular customer at Woolsworth’s purchasing tins of Prang watercolors and jumbo boxes of Crayolas. Her grandmother carefully removed the outer newsprint wrapper from the Dallas Times Herald so that it formed a neat square and kept her supplied with drawing paper.
Following high school she attended Texas Woman’s University, graduating with a BS in Costume Design, Fashion Illustration and Art Education.
When her husband wanted to return to his family’s farm, the couple moved to Amy, Kansas, population approximately 30 at the time. There weren’t any job openings for a fashion illustrator in Amy, so she began teaching art classes.
During the late 70’s and through the 80’s she was an active member of the Women Artist of the American West, serving two terms as president.
In the late 70’s she established a studio in Dighton, Kansas, and in 1981, purchased the old First National Bank of Dighton’s original building and set about restoring it. This is the present location of her studio where she continues to create art daily and teach art classes.
She is a firm believer that earth without art is just – eh.
