Sandra Fox’s creative side has enhanced every aspect of her life—from career to hobby.

“My father was an upholsterer and made furniture from scratch. He also made fabric sculptures, which were very unusual, so I’d say I got my artistic tendencies from him,” says Sandra, who was always doodling and drawing as a child, but got serious about art in high school. 

Growing up in New York City, she attended the High School of Art and Design. She wasn’t painting yet, but loved drawing and multi-media art, such as paper sculpture. 

After earning her master’s degree in Education of the Deaf at NYU, Sandra had her dream job for the next three decades, teaching art at the New York City School for the Deaf.

“I had students of all ages from kindergarten through high school. Deaf people are visual learners, so they could express themselves through art as well as sign language,” says Sandra, who learned sign language to teach them.

She and her husband, Howard, a pharmacist, raised two sons, Robert and James, who gave them two granddaughters and one grandson. 

During the 30 years she was teaching, Sandra always took additional art and computer graphics classes. She especially liked silk painting, which she learned in 1985. 

Sandra retired in 2002. She and Howard moved to Central Florida in 2007; he passed in 2020.

Sandra participates in fine art shows at The Plantation at Leesburg, where she lives. Among her favorite subjects are animals, and she enjoys doing commissioned pet portraits.

“Right now, I’m more into colored pencil and mixed media, like collages that incorporate painting. I’m also doing Gelli printing, so I create my own customized paper to use in my collages,” she says of the process that allows her to make one-of-a-kind prints featuring texture and patterns enhanced by vivid colors.

It makes sense that Sandra’s social circle includes art. She’s at Leesburg Center for the Arts every week for open studio and also belongs to Ocala Art Group.

Although Sandra works on her art several days a week, she also stays busy with other pursuits, including keeping up with sign language through online classes and exercises. She was proficient in sign language as an art teacher of the deaf but makes it a point to practice so her skills don’t get rusty. 

For commissioned work, contact her at sandyfox301@gmail.com 

Photos: Nicole Hamel