BY CINDY SULLIVAN

Originally from rural Ohio, Judi Millikan grew up close to Lake Erie around small farms, water and woods. She loves painting nature, landscapes and animals, as well as people and, although she had no formal education in art, she took classes with some wonderful artists.

For about 12 years, Millikan has taught fine art classes to individuals as young as 5 years old and as old as in their 80s. At the Enterprise Museum, the exhibit “Art by Judi Millikan’s Class” features paintings by Millikan and some of the artists from her current classes.

Millikan’s students will tell you that her strength as a teacher is in meeting each student where they are in skill level, and then sharing the skills to help them grow. Each of the four students whose work is featured in this show entered her classes as an absolute beginner in painting.

Judy Bergado has been attending Judi Millikan’s class for ​about eight years. She enjoys painting in acrylics, and loves doing the fine details, whether it is feathers on parrots, the paths of lush gardens or a frosty winter scene. Bergado is an artist who likes to explore lots of methods and mediums. She has enjoyed creating jewelry for many years and also enjoys art journaling, including making the journals from scratch.

Joy Brand’s “Hercules Cave”

Joy Brand began her art by exploring drawing with graphite and pens. As Brand began classes with Judi Millikan in 2014, she began painting in acrylics. She enjoys landscapes of breathtaking vistas and harmonized colors. Her drawings continue to catch the eye with interesting shapes emerging from various mediums, such as white graphite on black paper.

Brand likes to get her inspirations from a wide variety of sources. Her most recent artwork, the stunning Hercules Cave, was done from a photo a friend sent her from Morocco.

Paula Maud Dayton enjoys painting scenes from her own yard or from photos she has taken in her travels. She also enjoys wildlife and the views of wide-open spaces. Though primarily an acrylic painter, she has also enjoyed doing acrylic underpainting and then finishing using oil paints.

Mary Henrickson began drawing years ago on her own, but took a drawing class in the early 1990s. Years later, she was determined to learn how to paint when she retired from the School Board. Millikan was teaching a painting class in Hobby Lobby, and Henrickson started studying under her for about two years.

Dayton, Brand and Bergado are also members of the Deltona Art Club, of which Dayton is the current president, Brand is the vice president, and Bergado is a former treasurer. Bergado is also a member of the West Volusia Art Club.

Each of them sees local art clubs as a welcoming environment for new and experienced artists to learn new techniques, learn about other mediums, and learn how to present and show their art. Demonstrations by artists are one of the fun parts of the club meetings, and Millikan has shared her skills with members over the years.

The exhibit “Art by Judi Millikan’s Class” will continue through July 29 at the Enterprise Museum, at 360 Main St. in Enterprise. The museum is open 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays. Admission is free, but donations are gladly accepted.

For more information, call 386-259-5900.