They say the best things in life often take time. This story started twenty-seven years ago when I became a student in the Bachelor of Science, Studio Art program at Troy University.  I was fresh out of high school and I had taken the advice of my beloved high school art teacher who had told me, "Major in something you are passionate about."  Faith, family and art were top of my list so I walked through the art department doors at seventeen years old, a first generation college student.

I met the most fascinating students and instructors and thoroughly loved painting in the studio as much as possible.  I graduated in Fall 2001 and immediately began working full-time for the university in the University Records office.  That was twenty-three and a half years ago.  I later earned my Master of Science in Counseling and Psychology (Summer 2016) while continuing to work full-time.

,Fast forward to April 2024. I painted this canvas of a mother sheep and her lamb in muted tones and my friend Sherry DeBray put it for sale in her shop Halo Boutique and Gifts.  It just so happened that the First Lady of Troy University, Mrs. Janice Hawkins, bought that painting and then contacted me about purchasing more work.  In the end, it culminated with the university inviting me to display five paintings in their new Center for Materials and Manufacturing Sciences building.  You can read more about the amazing mission of the Center here.

Now, I'd like to introduce you to the artwork! The theme highlights my childhood spent playing and wandering in the beautiful agricultural fields of Pike and Bullock Counties of Alabama. 

The first large painting is named for my Pawpaw, Aubrey Earles, who had a garden every year where kids and grandkids helped sow and harvest. "Aubrey's Turnip Patch" has this very rustic, distressed finish on top of lots of hand-brushed texture.  It is reminiscent of the old, old stories told of generations of farming families who worked from sun up to sun down with pride in their work. The live oak is Southern living at it's finest and the rows are just starting to sprout green.  I love the time-worn look of this large one.

The second painting, entitled, "In Perfect Peace" features a tree-lined field spotted with white flowers. The paint runs wild from the trees to the foreground. My brush was so free to play and explore the canvas with acrylic paint and chalk pastels and sprays of water.  This field reminds me of the pasture behind my grandparents' house where we played a game of softball and preached to the cows.  I also grieved the death of my first known childhood friend here.  A lot of life's emotions were worked out under that hot, Summer sky.

"Sister's Sunflowers," perhaps my favorite in the series, was a learning experiment about softening the edges and seeing with dimming eyes. I used to take life so literal - and I approached my paintings with such a striving for realism. But life teaches lessons that challenge our deep-rooted belief systems. We have to work out our own relationship with the Creator. We have to work through the trauma of childhood until we can see the brighter hope before us.  One of my Facebook followers suggested the title/name to honor her sister and I love that someone found meaning in my painting.

It was the sky that drew me in when I found the reference picture for "When the Cicadas Call Me Home." I remember laying on top of my Daddy's nineteen eighty-something Ford truck cab, staring up at the sky one afternoon.  I made pictures in my mind of the cloud shapes. And so many evenings I marveled at the vibrant colors of the sunsets in rural Alabama. And then the sounds of the bugs - crickets and cicadas.  Those were the sounds that said that supper was on the stove, almost ready. So, I'd make my way back home.  There was a point that I had to "come back home" to really face the hard things and questions that emerged in my childhood.  I think we all do, if we want to grow. 

I get weepy when I see something really beautiful. I just feel so grateful and blessed to be standing in that moment. When our family traveled to Yellowstone National Park to see the mountains, when I first saw each of my babies' faces, when I flew in an airplane for the first time and spotted Horseshoe Bend, etc.  All of these sights overwhelmed me with emotion.  And I felt so connected to Father God.  Growing up in a Pentecostal church, it seemed like a Holy Ghost feeling.  I feel that way when I see the valleys and wide open spaces of home. Everything just feels safe, holy, sacred.  And so this painting was created with loose, flowing, playful strokes that invite the viewer to look beyond, into a place where the spirit is free to breathe and BE.

That's the condensed story of this series.  I look forward to painting more. If you've read this far then you really are a huge blessing in my life.  And I can't thank you enough. I thank Troy University and the International Arts Center for affording me this opportunity. 

The paintings will be on loan with the university for six months with the possibility of extending that time.  They are all available for purchase as well so please feel free to share a link to this post. And if you want to make a smaller investment, prints of these paintings are available in multiple sizes in my online shop!

Thank you, truly.
Kitty

My Dad is an artist and our home was chaotic growing up because he was a rock and roller and Mamma was a devout Christian and they were total opposites.  He struggled with drug addiction and she felt a lot of hurt and resentment trying to raise three kids in church without a lot of emotional support.  Our church was very charismatic and focused on a no-nonsense, Hell-fire and brimstone kind of God which felt scary and chaotic in many ways too.  I think I really dug into art because it was a way to have a connection with my Daddy and I later realized that it was an outlet of peace and escape.  I wanted to tow the lines of being both a good, Christian girl and able to relate to my father.

And because we lived far away from the city, my days were spent wondering around the woods and fields with my dog.  I had cousins to play with sometimes but I spent a LOT of time alone in nature.  I guess it’s no surprise that I’m an introvert. When I finally got my hands on paint, it opened a world of wonderment and a place to focus my energy.

Field paintings just bring me back to those moments of being 9 years old, hair in braids, everything was sunny and quiet and simple.  No one around me to demand anything of me.  Far away from the bad things. Just me wondering under the canopy of the trees or between rows of corn, with my trusty dog to protect me.  I could pretend so many wonderful things until daylight started sinking (and crickets started chirping) and it was time to make my way back to our little house that always sat too close to the road. 

It is nature that is always reliable throughout life. The sun will always rise up again. The trees will stand and greet you like old friends when you need a break from life.  While we are zipping about our busy corporate day jobs, in a world of concrete, nature is still out there waiting quietly to embrace us again. When we have time.  No matter what.

Nature just brings with it a spirit of peace and a reminder that the earth keeps spinning and the flowers keep blooming despite our big or small worries.  This is God's work: He's steady, dependable, a calm in the chaos.

What kinds of things do you find help you create peace in a busy season of life? I know many people are stressed and struggling right now.  I'd love to hear your thoughts.

P.S. I have decided to start this blog back again (fresh) after a long hiatus.  I hope something I share will enrich your lives. I know you enrich mine!

Sincerely,
Kitty