Betty Keppeler

You have absolutely NO TALENT! Betty's instructor told the high school sophomore, who'd just sculpted a head of actress Marion Davies she thought a good likeness. Her teacher was the respected man who designed the Spartan statue for Michigan State University. She was crushed - he never looked at a thing she did after that.

Earlier, on a 4th grade history paper Betty's teacher had taken points off for the illustrations, not believing that Betty herself had drawn them. But by 9 years old she'd begun drawing every chance she got. Today she does mostly watercolors and mixed media.

Betty graduated from college at age 50 - Penn State, after her husband received his doctoral degree and they'd put their sons through school. After a BS in Psychology, she took enough courses to also get a degree in art education. Keppeler taught art for 7 years at 6 different public schools, and also worked 10 years as an executive secretary at Michigan State University.

"I love college towns. We lived 26 years at Penn State and 10 years at Michigan State. They are so full of activity, so alive! And they're a great place to bring up children."

Betty originally wanted to go to Pratt Institute. She enjoyed fashion design and still has a box full of poster boards and a model city she designed then. She also drew one-of-a-kind evening gowns and other clothing; copying others just wasn't her style. In fact, this statement translates into EVERY area of Betty's life. She used her maiden name, Barr, without the hyphen long before it was fashionable.

Betty Keppeler loves cats. Cats and mementos dominate the atmosphere of her home. There one sees a cornucopia of the world; souvenirs from Vietnam, Yugoslavia, Israel, Egypt, Thailand, Scandinavia, South and Central America (and we've just starting here)....

Keppeler thinks art must have a spark.

"It must make you want to look again and again. I'd like to paint like Jon Houghton. I love his art. I also enjoy the work of Monet and Renoir. I like the art to speak to me, to evoke happy memories or express dreams or something. Vasarely's experimentation with computer art fascinates me with its geometric forms and colors which he transposes and mixes freely; that's interesting."

Betty herself likes to paint animals. The very first time she exhibited her work at Henegar Center she sold her watercolor "Misty Morning" - a bird traveling through the sky in such weather. Betty likes to paint animals. On a 2 month freighter voyage round trip to Aukland, Singapore and all points between she painted a white cat for the steward's daughter. He still has the painting. Then there was the trip to China.....

And there are other stories. Their 30th wedding anniversary was spent in Jamica. Her husband celebrated his 80th birthday on a freighter trip to Noumea, New Caledonia, although the rules stated that noone over 79 years old was supposed to be on that ship. A snuff bottle was added to their vast collection at the entrance to a Vietnamese funeral walk for royalty....

Besides cats, Betty also collects mirrors, lamps, dolls, recording, and apparently classics. Hundreds of books line her livingroom wall arranged by category. Plato, Aristotle, Sherlock Holmes, James Joyce, Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind, and much more. An entire range of swing records stand among The Art of Cezanne, The Earth, Insects, and every scientific subject continue to the end of this endless literary maze.

And on the wall....what's this? Her husband's paternal grandparent's picture...but wait...inside the glass is his baby picture...and on it his baby bonnet is encased. And there are wonderful old and new pictures and art and unusual textile and fabric creations by the artist herself.

After wintering here awhile, Betty and her husband Richard finally moved to Melbourne in 1989. They have two sons, one who lives in Stone Mountain, GA and the other in Jackson, MI. They recently visited over the holidays, 4 grandsons and a granddaughter. This past fall Betty also went somewhere else - her 61st high school reunion!

Betty Keppeler makes special pillows and great drapery. She's on the Board of the Woman's Society at her church. She walks miles for exercise. She's an all-around collector. Does the word COMPREHENSIVE explain this woman? How about all-around "person"? Avid reader? Designer? World traveler? Artists? YES to all of the above.

"I've had a wonderful life," she says. Evidently....

Written by Siri German