Cindy Gillett was born in Keokuk, Iowa. Growing up in a small riverboat town along the Mississippi River, she enjoyed the laid back casual lifestyle many small Midwest communities have to offer.
While Cindy was drawn to art at an early age, which is often the case with artists, there were few opportunities to study art within the small schools she attended. During her senior year in high school, an art class was offered to students. However, that art class was developed as a freshman level credit. Regardless, Cindy petitioned the school to attend the art class in lieu of study hall and was allowed to attend. As a result of this class, Cindy received a scholarship to attend a two week art workshop at the University of Green Bay in Wisconsin. The one high school art class and the workshop in Green Bay gave Cindy a small glimpse into the broad exciting world of art. A world she knew she would someday pursue.
Relocating to Idaho, Cindy attended business courses at Boise State University, University of Michigan and the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Cindy's artistic development has been largely self-taught over the years. Fast forward 35 years later, Cindy is now pursuing her artistic dreams after caring for her family and accomplishing a successful career in the corporate world.
Over the years Cindy dabbled in painting with oils, acrylics, watercolors, and most recently drawing with graphite and colored pencils. She became accomplished in graphite drawing focusing on selling portraits and more specifically pet portraits over the course of several years. Continuing her search for the perfect painting medium, she realized that painting with soft pastels was a natural progression from drawing and complimented her skill set. In January of 2014 she knew she had found the medium that suited her. Since that time Cindy has immersed herself in furthering her art education and working extensively with soft pastels.
Cindy has studied with nationally recognized artists such as Barbara Jaenicke and Stan Sperlak. She is a member of the Pastel Society of the West Coast (PSWC), Treasure Valley Artist Alliance (TVAA), and Plein Air Painters of Idaho (PAPI). She received second place honors in a local (Idaho) plein air event in Sept. 2015 and Outstanding Pastel in the October 2015 BoldBrush Online Competition sponsored by FASO.
Cindy and her husband Vic reside in Meridian, Idaho. Together they have four children and six grandchildren all of whom are enjoying life in the Pacific Northwest.
