Recently, I have been learning about Minerva Teirchert. She was an incredible woman and artist. She studied under the great artists of her time, such as George Bridgeman and Dimitri Romanoffski. Funds for her education were raised by performing traditional Native American dances and drawing cadavers for the biology department at the university. After obtaining all the education she was able to, she returned home to Idaho, married, and started a family. She had five children and ran a ranch. She was busy from dawn until dusk, and yet, at the end of the day, she always made time to sit down and paint.
Minerva had a dream, and she pursued it throughout the course of her life. She passed away before she could fully see her dream realized, but she did eventually accomplish everything she wanted to. With the nearly 1000 paintings that she completed in her lifetime, she has become one of the most admired and respected artists of our time. Her artwork is unique in style and feel, and it carries a spirit with it that cannot be found elsewhere.
As I think about Minerva, I also think about what Clint Watson said, "Every piece you don't complete is lost to the world forever". I doubt that Minerva left many unfinished pieces behind. She had a passion for painting, and even though funds were tight throughout her lifetime, she continued to press on.
"I must paint." is something that Minerva was known to have said. We can all take a very valuable lesson from her example.
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