Monica Rozwadowski
Emily Grotta
The PebbleCreek Art Club is pleased to award Monica Rozwadowski our Artist of the Month for December.
When Monica was in her twenties, she received a Christmas gift of beginners oils paints from her sister Joyce. She took an art course at the time, but never pursued painting until retiring in 1998. That year, Monica and her sister wintered in PebbleCreek. She took Fred Alves’ oil painting class, an inspiration that led to her passion for painting.
After retiring from a 40-year career with New York Life Insurance Company, Monica maintained her suburban Chicago home but spent winters in different parts of the country before settling in McAllen, Texas for six seasons. There she enrolled in oil painting classes at McAllen’s local community college. Then, while visiting Phoenix for a convention, the sisters found their “perfect” house in PebbleCreek and decided to relocate their winter home from McAllen to Goodyear.
She continued to spend the summer in Illinois, gardening and catching up with friends and family. In Goodyear, Monica continued to enroll in art classes with Fred Alves and the talented Bonnie Kitchens.
In Illinois, Monica was active in her church’s theater club, appearing in many musicals, making costumes, and singing. She became an avid barbershop singer and joined Sweet Adelines, which gave her the opportunity to travel all over the country competing with various choirs. During that period, her chorus had the opportunity to perform in Carnegie Hall. Traveling became Monica’s hobby. She has visited 48 of the 50 states and has been to Canada, Egypt, and many European countries.
Monica says moving to PebbleCreek was one of her best decisions. Besides satisfying all that the sisters desired in a home, she can pursue two of her favorite hobbies, singing with the PebbleCreek Singers and painting.
You are invited to view Monica’s artwork on display in the Creative Arts Center and the Tuscany Falls and Eagle’s Nest clubhouses.