Ruth Holland Waddell, 97, a figure in the Sedona and Verde Valley art community, died Thursday, Aug. 24, surrounded by family and friends.

Born Ruth Holland on Nov. 25, 1925, she grew up in a family of four children in Chicago, where art was always a part of her life. Her mother, a soprano, played piano and encouraged her children to learn music and art.

Waddell attended the Art Institute of Chicago, where she met her future husband, John Henry Waddell [Feb. 14, 1921-Nov. 27, 2019], through her brother Joshua. Ruth Holland became John Waddell’s muse in art and later his wife, marrying him in 1949.

The Waddells lived in Greece and Mexico before moving to Arizona, where John Waddell taught art at Arizona State University. In 1970, the Waddells started building an enclave for artists, dancers, musicians and apprentices at their studio in Cornville. The site was also home to their three children, Lindsey, William and Amy.

Ruth Waddell said she believed her place was to raise her children and help support her husband’s career as an accomplished sculptor. While Waddell put her art career on hold, she said she never felt that her life’s value was determined by her achievements. She said that she was focused on her husband’s needs and then their children became her next priority.

“They were iconic beautiful beings whose love, intellectual acuity and artistry touched thousands over their 70 years of marriage,” their daughter Amy Waddell said. “Still, they did not cast great shadows for their kids to escape; rather they cast light to illuminate our paths.”

Ruth Waddell said she felt that her life’s path was wonderful and interesting, although it brought struggle. She remained protective of her husband and the work he accomplished. Although John Waddell’s work was monumental in size, Ruth Waddell’s work was much smaller. She returned to creating art later in life, painting flowers that inspired her, working mostly in pastels, a medium she said she enjoyed because of its fluidity. Waddell described a time she painted on Oak Creek, which was close to her home.

“I was going down near the creek to work in nature,” she said. “Something would catch my attention visually because I had an emotional response to it. And that gave me energy. I think that’s my own interpretation and in the process of painting, I saw more and more. I saw more color that I didn’t see right off. But as I worked with it, I kept seeing more. So, for me, that was an enriching experience.” “The thing about being an artist is that you have to keep learning. Art can be scary,” Waddell said, reflecting on how it requires translating the experience of three dimensions of life onto a two-dimensional surface.

“I don’t know if I am improving — it has to do with motivation. If you are motivated, you are going to do it. It gets better because you learn, and discover things like how color works together, and you just learn by experience — like anything in life. Life is designed for us that way. We have to learn by experience, and finally, when we have all this good experience, life is over.”

Towards the end of her life, Waddell said she learned about gratitude. She was grateful for getting up in the morning; grateful that she was able to get dressed; grateful that she could still make breakfast. However, it was learning to be in the moment that had a profound effect on her life.

“There are many moments [in my life, but I don’t think about them] that way,” Ruth said. “I’m in the moment. That doesn’t mean I don’t have memories or think about yesterday or tomorrow. But I like to be in the moment. Where else should we be?”