Mikii Bendotti

About the Artist

Mikii Bendotti1.jpg

From the time I was a little girl, growing up in Ohio, I have been sketching people, animals, and their surroundings. I can remember sketching horses in second grade. If I did not chatter too much during class, my second-grade teacher would reward me by posting my horse art work on the classroom walls.

As I grew older, rather than taking traditional class notes, I perfected the ability to draw illustrations of what my teacher was teaching us in class. I used the illustrations to study for test and ... Wow! amazed my teacher with making high grades in all of my subjects!

When I had my own students, I taught my students how to use drawings to help them retain information visually. And, they also were very successful in passing tests and being promoted to the next grade.

As an Elementary School Principal, I sketched our students and teachers engaged in the learning process to reinforce the great teaching and instruction taking place. Art in the practical sense has been a constant in my life, because it translates our "Verbal Learning into Visual Learning - and Vice-Versa"

Now that I am retired, I’m working with oils and watercolors, however, I prefer acrylics. Most often, I paint people engaged in the “Human Experience” called life. My goal is to communicate something very unique about the people I paint – something that a camera might not pick up. When I paint a portrait, if successful, there is a point while I am painting, that the person in the painting truly seems to look back at me and – for a moment we become one in the same place within a “Human Experience.” I can think of nothing more rewarding! I have taught others how to draw and paint portraits. I have seen the same joy on their faces when they achieve the personal essence in their art work. And, they too have experienced the “Human Experience.”

As I continue to enhance my “Art Vision and Missions Quest,” I hope to acquire the required knowledge, skills, and experience to be able to create art that reflects one of my favorite Bible verses:
“Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report ... think (paint) on these things.” (Philippians 4:8)

I truly am looking forward to becoming a member of Ground Floor Artists, and have the opportunity to develop both professional and personal powerful colleague relationships. I have been juried into local artists organizations exhibits including*:

  • Arizona Artist Guild (11/19/17, 3/4/18,2/25/18,4/25/21) Now a Juried Member

  • Glendale Art Council (1/10/18,1/8/19,1/3/20)

  • Portrait Artists of Arizona (11/2/19,10/3/19,1/8/20)

  • Scottsdale Artist School (1/28/19,1/21/20,1/8/21)

*Art pieces selected for "Ground Floor Artist Directory" have been previously Juried by one of the above "Local Artist Organizations".