The Palo Verde Artists’ artist of the month for December is Patricia Hermes.

Hermes has always loved to draw. She started out designing clothing for her paper dolls and copying faces from the Draw Me pictures in magazines. Growing up in the little town of Wilmington, Illinois, there were no art programs in the schools. However, in eighth-grade Hermes was able to take a few oil painting lessons from a local artist and presented the landscape she painted to her parents as a Christmas gift.

Hermes’s next art classes began at Illinois State Normal University, where she earned a degree in art education. She has had several careers over the years, including art teacher in Illinois and in Guam, home daycare owner and administrative assistant, while raising four children with her husband Larry.

Along the way she enjoyed taking art classes and workshops in jewelry making, weaving, pottery, life drawing, painting and more.

Hermes retired in 2002 from her position as Human Resources Administrative Assistant at the Joliet, Illinois, Amoco Chemical Company (which became BP). The following year she and Larry moved to Sun City. A few years later she began working again, first as a substitute teacher for the Peoria school district and then as a caregiver for a caregiver agency.

Hermes loves all art media and at present is working with acrylics. Her favorite subject is people - portraits and figures. She enjoys the loose watercolors of artists like Charles Reid.

As a member of Palo Verde Artists Hermes has enjoyed taking classes and workshops but her favorite activity has always been drawing from live models at the Thursday afternoon portrait group. She has won many ribbons over the years at the Sun City Art Show and the Palo Verde Artists Show.

Other pastimes Hermes enjoys are camping, painting rocks, working puzzles, taking walks, playing the piano, watching movies, visiting family and entertaining friends. Hermes and Larry also have enjoyed traveling. In addition to visiting many American states, they have visited Japan, Puerto Penasco (Rocky Point), Mexico, England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.

Hermes’s advice to aspiring artists is to take classes in drawing as it is foundational to learning to paint.

View Hermes’s artwork in the showcase outside the Palo Verde Artists club room on the second level of Sundial Recreation Center, 14801 N. 103rd Ave. The gallery inside the club room is open to the public for viewing. Membership in Palo Verde Artists is $10 per year and is open to Recreation Centers of Sun City cardholders only.

Visit paloverdeartists.com for more information.