Kay grew up in Walla Walla , Washington , and spent most of her summers working on the family farms near Wilbur and Almira . And , according to Kay , she has always been artistic , drawing and using found items to create small assemblages .
“ From the time of being a tiny child , I always drew on anything I could get . I wanted to create imaginary journeys or to express sadness or joy . I also built things , as a child , out in my imaginary forts with my imaginary animals . I never considered I was making art . It was a process that was natural to me , an expression of what I was feeling at the moment .”
At the age of twelve , she was sent to work as a cook during the pea harvest . The hours were long and grueling as she and two other women woke at 3:30 am , made two breakfasts , two lunches , and two dinners , with only a one-hour break before going to bed at 11:00 pm .
“ Those were long hours for a little kid , and no one told me I wasn ’ t working hard enough so , when my boss sent me home thinking maybe I wasn ’ t ready for such hard work , everybody was appalled ! I was too . I bawled and bawled because we ( my family ) don ’ t get fired ! Thankfully , my boss took me back and after two more summers I ended up working as the head cook !”
After proving herself , Kay ’ s employer took her under her wing and eventually helped her get into college . Kay ’ s family got her involved in the
Junior League , and though Kay ’ s high school grades had always been average when she decided to go to the University of Washington , she studied hard and got a 4.0 in her senior year . Higher education was important in Kay ’ s family , but it was her Grandma Hilda who wanted her to go to college and join the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority house . Unfortunately , Kay ’ s GPA wasn ’ t high enough for the Kappas but that was fine with her . She wasn ’ t interested in sorority life . Also , according to Kay the transition from a small farming community to a large college campus was difficult . She had to lie to get her first college job at a clothing store , as the only things on her resume were farming , cooking , and occasional babysitting . But she knew she could do the job and , if they asked , she could dress the windows with artistic flair . Her college career didn ’ t last long , however .
10 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE