Grace Benedict began working with color pencils from a very early age when she filled in the squares of graph paper to create different color patterns. Her drawings have evolved to a level of heightened detail and color use. She completed her B.F.A. degree at the University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada in 1977 and her graduate studies in drawing and painting at Tulane University in 1979. She continues to explore the spontaneity of drawing from life, abstracting and inventing form, as well as pursuing a fully descriptive visual statement. Her focus on nature lends itself to a variety of media, which includes chalk pastel, charcoal, graphite, watercolor and ink. She has lived in Lafayette for 7 years and has been teaching drawing and design at Purdue University‚ in the Visual and Performing Arts Department since her arrival.