Who was your most influential teacher? Why?
My college sculpture professor.
I was struggling with my clay sculpture classes. I was totally lost-kept hemming and hawing, after about the third class my prof walked by me and leaned down to me and said just f€cking do something. At first I was shocked. Then I got angry.
![](https://i0.wp.com/valeriedowdy.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/img_6075-scaled.jpg?resize=950%2C1388)
I used that frustration to start pounding away on the clay. I went on to create 11 pieces of a series I called “Emerging”-a sort of woodland floor organic series. Which then propelled me onward in my painting classes. I began to create abstract paintings and then abstract expressionism for years.
![](https://i0.wp.com/valeriedowdy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/img_3744-1024x724.webp?resize=950%2C672)
Thank goodness for breakthroughs.