Our featured artist for January 2009 is Violet M. Nicklen who moved to Sun City in September 2007, and quickly became an active artist in the Visual Arts Club and the Williamson County Art Guild.  Violet began exploring the arts in the late 1970’s while in the United States Air Force.  After 32 years of active service, she can now concentrate on her true passion – art.  Over the years she has studied with several U.S. and international artists both stateside an overseas.  Her art studies continued in the mediums of oil, acrylic, watercolor, copper relief, sculpture and plaster casting, tole painting, ceramics, graphite/color pencil drawing, printmaking, and two-dimensional design.  She is a graduate of Studio Art/Art History from Northwest Florida University, Pensacola, Florida.  She also has a Masters Degree in Art History from Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida.   She has displayed her work at Sun City, Down the Alley Bistro, Sparky’s, The Georgetown Library, Framers Gallery, and Patel Eye Care.  She may sign the back or front of her artwork “Bagel”, “V. Nicklen”, “V.M. Nicklen”, or “V.M.N.”