Despot Murals Portraits Fine Jewelry Martinsville VA Piedmont Craftsmen

Karen Despot

My journey as an artist began in what seemed like an ideal time in a small northeastern Ohio city. Most of our friends and neighbors were of the same ethnic background and so had the same religious and work ethics. My father had moved just across the street from where he was born and grandma still lived next door. My mother moved from Cleveland as a teen and they met in high school. Both sets of my grandparents came through Ellis Island from Slovenia in the early part of the 1900's, and so my heritage is very strong in the work ethic of the European culture.

My mother could have been an accomplished artist in her own right given different circumstances but as it is, she is an extremely talented seamstress. A homemaker by profession she taught me at an early age to strive for perfection and to 'redo' any part of my creations that were not quite perfect. My father denies his creativity, but we knew he could do anything. He not only built our home, but our Christmas decorations, and anything else that needed built. He can paint, do electrical work, plumbing, car repair, the list is endless. Because of the example of our parents, we never knew that you had to hire people to do these things; we learned you only had to try to do it yourself. continued

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