Tidbits about Dee that you may not know. She has done so many different things it is hard to enumerate them all. For example, she was with the Community Arts Ensemble for an entire summer. She learned all about the theater. She also acted, sang and danced with the famous Fred Johnson. She was in  Nail Down The Wind  - a Community Arts Ensemble. Fred had several of her very large paintings on the stage when she performed. It was in Ferguson Hall of the STRAZ Theater. She was in several other shows: Cabaret, Chicago and other original shows. She was interviewed several times and was featured in photographs in the Tampa Bay News. One of the reporters purchased her large watercolor of two dancers (at a SITA event).  She is now in charge of programs at The Friday Morning Musicale Historical Building and has been doing this for 20 years. 

She often imitated Carmen Miranda, singing in her voice and dancing. She is pictured here with her painting of Miranda and in her costume. 

      She took many lessons in Ballroom Dancing and then performed

and competed in many events in Tampa and St. Pete. She taught

Middle Eastern Dance (Belly Dancing) at many schools and facilities

and was very busy also performing the dance. "Great exercise" she

says. "It was so popular before Aerobics".  She also performed the

dance for Private Parties and Events. Did I mention she is a

seamstress? Her mother was a professional seamstress and

taught her to sew. She made her costumes for Ball Room

Performances and the Middle Eastern Performances. 

      Dee is also a Culinary Professional Cook and has catered many

events. She did both the Cooking and Performing at some of them.

She once won The Top Prize at the Hilton Hotel in Morristown, NJ for

her recipe using NJ tomatoes (Tomato Potato Surprise (a pie)). She

won a huge, huge basket with all kinds of fancy foods, fruit, cheeses,

wines and a TRIP for 2 to San Francisco, CA and an all free stay for

2 weeks at the Hilton Hotel. "Absolutely marvelous", said Dee. 

      An artist friend of hers, unable to do this herself, referred Dee to

a group that has huge family reunions. They wanted a painting of 

each person (most were deceased). They gave her photos, most 

terrible, i.e. out of focus. She had to get the likeness okayed by the 

group and arrange them on a large art surface. They reproduced the 

the image and put on T-shirts! They sold the items and made 

donations to the Group. She was like a Plastic Surgeon constructing.

     Another: she did fashion illustrations for a hi-rise exclusive women's fashion store in New Jersey. She

had to go into the store and draw and paint the actual clothes that were on the models. The illustrations 

were reproduced in newspapers - a great challenge!

      Lastly, she has been a life-long artist. She has been in many Art Clubs in MA, NJ, NY and FL. She

paints in Pastel, Acrylic, Oils and Watercolor. She does all kinds of painting, but specializes in Portraits.

She has been a member of Las Damas de Arte for 20 years and Rena Jacobson was her sponsor. Dee taught at Tampa Regional Artists and taught many workshops for Las Damas years ago and had many students. Thank you, Dee. 

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                                   DEE LOBO - a talent-filled well-lived life - still going strong. 

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