Introduction For You All to Enjoy!

        
        My name is Martina Coiley, and I am a non-traditional student like several others in this class.  There are a couple of reasons that I am attending UAF.  First, I have a personal goal to obtain at a minimum an associate’s degree.  The degree will not help me with career advancement, but I am hoping that by learning about areas that are new to me or allowing me to expand my knowledge in areas of interest it will help me explore my opportunities beyond retirement.  

        The second reason that I am taking classes; to figure out what’s next!  It’s exciting to think about the future.  I have worked for a wonderful company for nearly 28 years.  My job is in an office with a traditional office environment.  I’ve been fortunate that most of my working career I’ve always looked forward to going to work.  The next phase of my life I’m looking forward to choosing to do things that interest me and somehow also help others.  

        I haven’t really explored my own artistic abilities.  I guess partly because I have dedicated my free time to raising our family and working.  Now that my kids are grown and it’s just my husband and I, I’m ready to start exploring different art mediums to find out what I enjoy.  My mother is a wonderful artist.  She has an incredible eye for color which she uses to create beautiful quilts.  She has quilted for as long as I can remember.  She is also a very talented painter, seamstress, wood carver, and has dabbled in pottery.  When I was young, she made me a miniature doll house.  It was beautiful.  Unfortunately, I don’t have the doll house, but I do have all the furniture that she hand carved.  I’m hopeful that I’ve inherited some of her talent!



        Another area of interest for me is European architecture and art.  I’ve been to Europe three times with my kids traveling on school trips.  One of my favorite destinations in Europe was the Louvre museum. The art displayed, which I thoroughly enjoyed, can be found here: Louvre Collection.We were very fortunate that the art teacher organized the trips.  She was an incredible tour guide who is very familiar with Europe and the many artists that created the masterpieces.  These trips exposed the students and parents to another world and sparked an appreciation for art and the abilities of the people that created it.  I think touring the museums is where I discovered that art can be therapeutic.  

Comments

  1. Michael CJanuary 22, 2025 at 11:14 PM

    This is a test!

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Ukulele FoolJanuary 23, 2025 at 6:02 AM

    Ahhh! The Louvre! Is that one of your mother's quilts? In the next lesson we will be learning why blue and orange is such an effective color combination.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Martina CJanuary 26, 2025 at 10:44 AM

      That is not one of my mother’s quilts, but I have attached two pictures of a couple she has made to my canvas assignment for commenting on posts! She has made hundreds throughout the years and they are some of our family’s most valuable possessions and will be passed down for generations!

      Delete
  3. Justina WassillieJanuary 28, 2025 at 12:56 AM

    Greetings to you Martina, I find your name pretty interesting as it has the same ending Tina. But getting to read through your introductions, I love that you have a creative way of describing your family and your interests and I hope to see you around these blogs.

    ReplyDelete

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