Reggie Behl

REGGIE BEHL, Artist, Teacher, and Art Missionary. was born in New York City in 1922, grew up in Long Beach Long Island, and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) from Pratt Institute, majoring in Art Education. She had taught Art in all levels, from preschool up through Continuing Education and loved every minute of it. After raising 3 boys in Southern California, she returned to school, and received her Masters in Painting from California State University at Northridge. She had exhibited her paintings, won many honors, and has work in several museums and prestigious public collections. She was elected a member of the National Water Color Society. Some years ago, while living in New Jersey, she started teaching "Fun" art classes for Rutgers University Extension - courses such as "Art walks", and "The World Through An Artist's Eyes". After moving to Albuquerque in 1979, based on her extensive traveling, during which she was sketching constantly, she developed the "   Quick Sketching for Travel" weekend workshop concept for University of New Mexico Continuing Education, which she was still teaching several times a year. See http://www.quicksketchingfortravel.com. This workshop was also a sellout at the University of California until late in 2007, when she "retired" after having presented 63 weekend workshops. She had also taught this same workshop at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, and the County Museum of Natural History in Los Angeles, plus a variation called "Quick Sketching for Interior Designers" for the International Institute of Interior Designers. The classes generated a large cheering section of sketchers who have kept in contact with her for years, constantly sending her their latest efforts. She found, in her travels, that photography is not always welcome in some areas today, but somehow, sketching is, and often opens the door to interesting and unusual adventures. You got to meet some of the most interesting people, and got invited into places you would never have known about. If you don't know the language or dialect, sketching is a great communications medium. On trips, her frequent travels, she averaged 100 quick (two or three minute) sketches per week. The workshops used some of material and experiences she had recorded during her everyday life and travels in over 90 countries, and all of the continents, plus all over this country with her husband Hal. Her students learned how to use the tools and techniques of quick sketching to enrich their travel and everyday experiences. They were taught how other people have documented their own experiences, and ideas, in sketch form and how to develop their own personal systems through demonstrations, practice sessions from slides, photographs, and life. In her most recent exhibit of paintings at the University of New Mexico's Jonson Gallery, she used unusual materials such as copper, manipulated foil, stainless steel shavings, and silverpoint.
This, combined with her global travel sketches, suggested the name of the exhibit - "Explorations". She was recently in the throes of writing a book on Quick Sketching for Travel, at therequest of many of her ex-students. She was a fantastic gardener, who had organized annual sales of surplus plants, which raised substantial amounts of money for Cancer support groups. She had a wonderful family - Sons and daughters in law Bob and JoAnna of Monterey California, Ed and Jeannie of ElDorado Hills California, Rick and Krisztina of Laguna Beach California. Grand daughters Kristi Bayne, and Debbie Boucher. Grandsons Doug and Danny, Great Grand children Kalyssa and Hugh Bayne, Elin Anne and Jack Boucher, along with several Grand dogs and cats. With her long term sweetheart and husband she was very active in Albuquerque.