My Life as an Artist

article and illustration by Lou Davenport

This month’s theme for the December issue of Bayou Life is “Holiday Celebrations.”  I decided to celebrate my “life as an artist,” since I’ve been painting, drawing and selling my work for a little over 50 years.  It’s hard to believe it’s been that long, but, I started drawing when I was about 10.

My Uncle Jack worked at Kunze and Gamble Feed Store in Bastrop.  Most of you all know I was born and raised in Bastrop already.  I used to love to go visit my uncle when he worked there and loved the smell of that store.  My favorite part of the store was where they kept all the things you’d need to have a horse.  And of course, like most 10 year old girls, I wanted a horse!  I found a little book about all the different horses and I’d go home and draw horses.  I did have a horse for awhile, but, it ran off with me back to the barn, so I didn’t really want a horse after all!  But, I did use that little book to draw all kinds of horses. I still draw horses!  I don’t paint them, but I still draw them, recently selling several I saw in Kentucky.  

When I was a junior in high school, you could only take drawing but then, you learned painting your senior year.  I had a really good teacher who pretty much let me draw or paint anything I wanted.  I remember drawing many of my friend’s portraits or I would draw little silly drawings for them.  I found the fastest way to make friends was to let them find out you could draw!

Sometimes around that time, my dad gave my mom a set of oil paints and canvases.  I had never painted with any kind of paint, let alone oils, and of course, I had to get in that paint!  My mom had been a Fine Arts Major at La. Tech, but stayed behind to help my grandmother since my grandfather was very sick.  She went back to Tech and got another degree in elementary education and taught third grade for many years.

She let me get in her paint, but she also told me I had to keep the brushes clean!  I still do that almost obsessively! I think the first painting I did with her paint was a portrait of a guy I had a crush on and it really wasn’t very good.  I probably painted over it or even threw it away.  I just don’t really remember.

During my senior year, I had enough credits to graduate but back then, you didn’t get to go home after those two classes.  You had to stay all day.  Somebody decided that I could spend the rest of the day down in the art room.  My teacher taught me how to paint with a palette knife, make pottery, and even let me turn wood on a lathe.  When we had our Senior Art Show at the end of the year, I sold my first painting!  I think it was one that I had painted with a palette knife.

After I graduated, I wanted to be major in art, but, my dad thought that was a bad idea.  He’d say “You’ll never make a living doing art.” So, begrudgingly, I went into elementary education. But, I took as many electives in drawing, design and all the classes in art history I could.  They were still my favorite classes, finding myself bored in my others.

My first real boyfriend, George Sims, the one I call “the Greek God,” knew how much I loved to paint. He bought me one of the best easels around back then.  I finally let my son Adam have it since he uses an easel and I paint on a table.  He still has it and uses it to this day!

As fate would have it, I met my first husband, the father of my three children, when I transferred to Mississippi College for Women, or as it was known then, “The W.” It was located in Columbus, Mississippi.  Larry had taken a job at Walker Mufflers in Aberdeen, Mississippi after just having graduated from Mississippi State with a degree in mechanical engineering.  Larry was from Greenville, Mississippi and I actually met him at my cousin Judi’s wedding. Long story short, we started dating and eventually got married. I had my first daughter, Carolyn, later that year and didn’t go back to finish my degree until she was 18 months old.

I was lucky that I got to stay home with Carolyn since Larry had a great job.  And, although I had Carolyn to look after, I could still paint when she was napping.  And yes, I still had my mom’s old oil paint set and the easel George gave me.  Oils take forever to dry so that was one reason I changed mediums, from oils to watercolor.  And with watercolor, I didn’t have to worry about the toxic cleaners to clean my brushes.  With watercolor, you just need water!

I never could get the “hang” of the “wet in wet” techniques that most people think of when they think “watercolor.”  I didn’t like to use the regular watercolor paper, I used a watercolor board.  It was sturdy and thick and it didn’t warp like other paper did.  I remember I had to order it since there weren’t any art supply stores in Aberdeen, back then.

After I got my degree, I had my son Adam and that kid was a handful. When Adam was a little over two years old, I had my daughter, Paige.  She was so cute and her hair looked like “Pig Pen.”  She followed Adam around like a little puppy.

Even with this all going on, I painted.  The only subject people in Aberdeen would buy were magnolias.  I bet I painted about 100! I didn’t sell them for very much because those people were “tight wads” when it came to buying art.  I told myself if we ever moved I would never paint another magnolia as long as I lived!  And so, far, I haven’t.

God sure did answer my prayers when Larry found out he had another job in Vicksburg, Mississippi.  I can’t say I loved Aberdeen, because I didn’t. I lived there for nearly 9 years and only had about 5 friends. I haven’t been back.

We found a house in Lake Forest subdivision that was a perfect neighborhood to raise our kids.  It was big house! There was a long deck and screened porch.  I would eventually get into bird watching and I had bird feeders that I hung right outside the living room window so we could all see all the birds that came through there.  Maybe that’s why I paint a lot of birds these days.

When we first went to look at houses, our realtor took us to The Attic Gallery and I met Leslie Silver, the owner. She took my paintings and sold them!

I joined the Vicksburg Art Association where I met some of my best friends as well as The Vicksburg Theatre Guild where I painted many sets for the plays. 

My life in Vicksburg was just about perfect, but, as life often does, my husband died of cancer at the age of 46. I didn’t want to sell our house, but, I knew I didn’t need that big house.  There were a lot of memories there but, life had to move on.

Fate stepped in again when I was offered a job as Curator of Education at the Masur Museum of Art.  I didn’t paint that much but I certainly got to see some wonderful art by some exceptional artists.  I stayed at the Masur for 9 years.

I remarried a man I call, “Mister” and moved to Ruston, Louisiana.  My son and daughter and I rented one of the galleries on Art Alley, “Over the Moon.” By then I was working in acrylics on wrapped canvases and doing mixed media. (which is what I work with today)

That was a lot of fun, but, we finally gave up on the gallery.  We all sold a few things, but, not enough to keep paying the rent.

I left “Mister” and that was really hard.  He didn’t give me much to live on until I could find a good job, so, I got a job at “Painting with a Twist,” where I taught and also managed the place in the afternoons, kept it clean, even cleaning the toilets.  When I was offered a job to teach art at River Oaks, I jumped on it!  I absolutely loved my kids there and still hear from many of them. When I turned 62, I could retire and draw Larry’s Social Security.  So, I left and never looked back.

Today, since I’m retired, I can paint whenever I want to.  I sell much of my work on my Facebook page.  And, it seems like I am selling so many, I find it hard to keep up!  But, I’m so thankful for that.  After all these 51 years, being through some really hard times, I can finally say I have a career as an artist.

A big thank you to my kids, to all of you who buy my work and to Bayou Life for giving me the opportunity to write and illustrate my column for the past 6 years. Merry Christmas ya’ll!