"Let me go and do art!" said Beatrice Wood. Beatrice Wood was born in San Francisco, California on March 3, 1893. She was born in a wealthy family but didn't feel any interest in the traditional life her parents gave her. She wanted to do art, ignoring all the things expected of her. Although her mother let her paint in France after a lot of disagreeing, she still wasn't happy. She ran away and rented an attic apartment and spent her time painting. Later, her mom found out her whereabouts and brought her back to Paris. Beatrice got her interest in pottery after buying plates while on a visit in New York. She ended up in a pottery class at the local high school. Later she realized that she could sell the pottery she made since it was good. At first she didn't realize that her pottery was art. She just made money with it. Her friends lent her some money and she bought a wheel and a kiln for herself. She rented a shop and became a full time potter. Beatrice became the artist she wanted to be and lived a good life. She made and sold her pottery/sculptures for about 32 years. She is well remembered for her art and lived in Ojai, California. She lived to be over 100 years old and died on March 12, 1998.

Image from http://www.OjaiArt.org Photographer/Robert Hale

2000, by Christian, fourth grade