In 1963, Miriam lived in Sarasota, Florida in a small, rented cottage near the beach at Siesta Key while attending the Farnsworth School. Jerry Farnsworth was a renowned portrait painter and his students benefited greatly from his technique and teaching.
“I learned more about painting at the Farnsworth’s School of Art in Sarasota, Florida. I was down there about six months. Jerry Farnsworth was a great admirer of El Greco, and it showed in his work. Also he was the first painter I have run across that scraped the canvas down after a session. It is a great technique to use and also had never used the long bristle brushes. It was a struggle at first to change over but found it was a good way for me to paint.”
– Miriam McClung