Don't limit yourself; 'Anyone can be an artist'

Ten years ago, Cindi Sartain was on the verge of giving up painting, worried she was wasting her time.

Then she learned about the Postcard Art Competition and Exhibition. She decided to enter, choosing a farm-scene photo she took on a trip back from Iowa. But she said the photo was boring, so she added some extra colors.

That was the first time she was named a finalist.

It was that decision that she hopes also inspires her art students at Copeland Manor School in Libertyville.

"I tell them if they let their artist voice speak to them and do something, even if it doesn't make sense, to try it. It may take their artwork to another level," she said.

Sartain has developed a fondness for the postcard and the local competition incorporating postcards as part of her art class at school.

Sartain said often her students inspire her. Each year, her third-graders choose any media and create a Chicago landscape. She said their work was so creative, it inspired her to create one.

Entering Lincoln Park Zoo on a warm spring day, Sartain captured the image that she used to create a modern, abstract image for the postcard.

"I had so much fun painting it," said the Libertyville resident.

Now a two-time finalist, Sartain said she hopes her experience encourages her students to take a chance artistically, adding that it's thrilling to be recognized.

"I tell them don't be intimidated," she said.

"Anyone can be an artist. You have to be willing to try things and not limit yourself."

-- Abby Scalf