Recently I have focused on different ethnic groups and especially the Native American life, which has surfaced several times throughout my painting career. Portraiture is demanding on your senses. It forces you to be aware of not only the likeness but of the soul. Art is limitless and it compels me to work. We are creatures who need the near and the familiar as well as the exotic.
Art arises in the human spirit beyond the reach of words, from the levels of our deepest memories.
I have to find the reason for painting a thing. Actually, I don't care whether a painting is representational or purely abstract in its form. It does not matter, either it's good or bad. Biography Oehmke attended Ron Riddich's Workshop at the American Academy of my Art in Chicago. She has been a professional artist for over 20 years, working primarily in portraiture.