Campaign: Elderly Portaits Austin, Texas: DORIS EVANS, 90

I grew up in a wonderful town on the Guadalupe River in central Texas. When the other girls were buying paper dolls, I was creating my own. My father had a friend whose wife was the local landscape artist, Ike Koenig. I started studying with her when I was 11, every Monday afternoon until I left for college. She treated me like a person, not a little child, and I loved learning about art and many things from her. 

I got a BFA in art education, got married and started teaching art in elementary schools. I love people and it was a joy; it always felt like I had something to give. I was so new but I was in the right place and doing the right thing. My own work is in watercolor, and I still love to teach. I use my second bedroom as a studio. Of course I’ve had some bumps, divorce and that kind of thing, but I’m proud of how I made my own way. It was tough but that’s how I started my business. And I think being 90 is wonderful — I have 100 friends I can visit every day.