AMI Member Profile
Jadia
Ward
Jadia
Lorraine (Gordon) Ward - 1-9-55. Now half a century young! Born on the most southern
island of Florida, one can say that this Key West Couch's love of the ocean and
art pours through her veins and soul. Even her name derived from "Jade"…
taking the "e" off and adding "ia"… was made up by her
aunt Millie to have an exotic sound for a future artist born of the tropical Keys.
Having
lived up and down the east coast with her parents, two brothers and a sister,
as the oldest child, Jadia loved an adventurous life. In 1966 the family relocated
to Portland, Oregon and embarked on making the Northwest their permanent home.
The diversity of the NW area allowed Jadia to explore and expand her creativity
in various art media and subject matters.
Jadia's
formal education continued from high school into a Physical Education major with
a love of sports. At Willamette University she won first place in 1973 and 1974
Women's Collegiate Fencing Championships and awards in Collegiate Softball. Jadia
won awards on Speech and Debate Teams… and then moved into snow skiing and
sailboat racing. Art, singing and playing guitar are Jadia's passions in downtime.