Prudence Horne is a painter and art teacher in San Diego.

"I knew I would be an artist from as long back as I can remember. As a child I was sick a lot and consequently I spent a great deal of time at home with my grandmother who would keep me busy with painting on the kitchen table. I can recall a specific moment, age 5, when I thought, 'Oh, this is what I am supposed to do in life.' I have never wavered. I studied Art History in undergraduate school and learned about the language of art. I pursued my MFA so that I would be able to teach at the college level. I have had a crazy variety of jobs all with the purpose of being an artist–everything from goat herding to stain glass production to a director of a gallery. I have shown my art work quite a bit throughout the years however I still feel like an under recognized artist because I don’t have consistent gallery representation and more importantly I don’t feel like I have hit my potential yet. I have been distracted with aging parents and would very much like to get back on my artistic track. There is so much more to learn and to experience. And similar to Bill Male, I really enjoy giving back, teaching.

"For the past five years I have been an adjunct teacher at San Diego City College. I teach Art Orientation and a variety of Art History classes; every semester is a challenge with a different subject to master. I am also teaching a Painting and Poetry class at Donovan State Prison–as rewarding as this experience has been I find it exhausting on all levels and relish in the thought of taking a break. I am grateful to be employed and I am proud to be a teacher; however, the fact of the matter is that my own art work has taken a hit–I haven’t had the time to simply paint. In order to achieve my goals I need to spend more time painting, improving my skills and my artistic voice, and to look at more art in museums and galleries.

"As a teacher of Art History I have found that my student’s respond to my personal stories about art. I generally don’t like to talk about myself, but I do talk about my experiences to specific pieces–like seeing a Vermeer for the first time and being moved to tears, or a room full of Rothko’s that was like walking into a Cathedral–I am eager to continue to share my love and enthusiasm for the arts."

In 2019, the William Male Foundation awarded Prudence a grant so she could spend a summer abroad, painting and studying art. Here's Prudence talking more about what the grant meant to her:

Learn more about Prudence and see some of her work at her website.