Simone strives to create vibrant and meaningful works that capture the essence of life. Her paintings highlight the beauty of nature and the world around us, while her children’s books are designed to bring the joy of imagination and creativity to our little ones. About the Artist - A World of Colorful Impressions “The eye never forgets what the heart has seen.” This African proverb is one that captures the essence of my work and passion. You see, I was born and raised in South Africa and my roots go back to the 1800 settlers. It was not until I was 17 years old that I immigrated to the United States with my mother and sister to explore new opportunities. Having been here in the US for several years now, I have almost spent equal parts of my life in both countries. With relocating across the globe in my late teens, I entered the US with curiosity and wonder. I had much to uncover about my new home and was eager to do so. My arrival was met with the adventure of going off to college, choosing a career, and starting my own family after meeting my husband and having my own children. The memories of my life and heritage in South Africa, however, are still vivid. They are well remembered and a part of who I am. My creativity was inspired by my parents at a young age, both were intimately involved with computer repairs and desktop publishing. I was merely 2 years old when I started playing computer games. Before I knew it my mother and I were designing school projects in Adobe Photoshop. I had my occasional art class that was a part of the school curriculum, however, we were not able to afford extracurricular classes in this regard. Much of my life became academically focused. I pursued a medical degree in the US that I was able to complete after 10 years of intensive studies. During these years of studying, I had the rare opportunity in college to pick one class of my own choosing. A class that would not be required for my degree. I seized the chance to sign up for an art class and this is when I first discovered and fell in love with oil painting! 10 years later, three kids in tow and now working a full-time job, life left little time to paint. Then my passion was rekindled! I encountered finger painting with oils in 2020. It has been through oil finger painting that I have rediscovered myself, the memories of the beauty in South Africa that I had experienced, and the splendor of the vast world around me. I have not picked up a paint brush since! Through use of color, temperature, depth and texture, finger painting literally leaves impressions of myself in each piece. What is more surprising is that as I touch the painting it is almost as if the piece itself reaches back out to me. The subject lifts off the canvas! The paintings are colorful and bright and invite you to reach out and trace each impression with your own fingers. This is art that you can physically feel, creating for a more immersive experience. Finger painting with oil paints is unique and unusual, but the technique lends itself to the blending of my two worlds and has helped to harmonize the beauty I have seen in each. I will continue to paint the wonders that my heart has seen and hope that my pieces will reach out and capture the curiosity in others. I invite you to reach out and start to feel the beauty that is around you. View available original paintings, canvas prints and more at www.SimoneMajetichFineArt.com Follow me on facebook: https://m.facebook.com/SimoneMajetichFineArt/ I am available for commissioned work. Located in Chardon, Ohio Simone Majetich, D.O. I didn’t plan to become an artist. I have a hard time thinking of myself as an artist, but I am warming to the idea. My Father gave me a silver dollar a few years ago, which reignited my desire to collect coins. I decided that instead of putting my coins away in coin books, where I wouldn’t see the coins again for years, I wanted to try to display some coins in a picture that I could look at. I purchased a large bag of wheatback pennies and decided to use some older, collectible coins in my artwork. I took one penny and glued it to the exact center of the picture. I glued 6 pennies around the center penny and worked my way out in hexagons. Then, at a certain point, I saw that I could move my lines inward forming the arms of a star. The star of David was the first picture I made. I liked it, so I made about 8 more of these stars, each time trying to improve and come up with new ideas. I decided there were no rules to my creations, so I add as much bling and extra creativity as I feel like. My Mother told me that I should make something else besides the stars, so I started making different designs out of coins, such as a sea turtle, a teddy bear, bee’s nests, dragons, ship’s steering wheel, tee pees, an owl, fish scenes underwater, and then I started painting pictures. My paintings have been mostly birds, blue jays, blue birds, and cardinals. I submitted some of my artwork to the Gates Mills art show that is held every spring and one of my pieces was chosen two years in a row. I was thrilled by this because I am a nobody in the art world, and this was a validation that my stuff is actually good. I have also sold a couple of pieces (as well as given some away), so I guess that makes me an artist, right? Anyway, I am very grateful for this opportunity to display my work at Geauga University Hospital. Thanks To Brittany Paynter for accepting me. Thanks to David and Alnita Paterson, my best friends who helped me with recovery and encouraged me to enter my work. And thanks to all my friends at Ravenwood, Natalie, Gena, Jackie, and all the rest, God bless you!