Juvenile Sea Turtle

Another long day for me!

I'm used to them though, the long days that is. 

What I am not used to is a day spent at my sewing machine. 

I was a professional seamstress before I started painting. 

I made good pocket money while working from home and I enjoyed being my own boss. What I did not enjoy were overly picky customers, (you just cannot please some of them!) People who thought I charged too much, (I tried to make $5.00 an hour) I also did not enjoy the time it took away from the kids during the summer. I worked in a factory where they tried to slow my speed by giving me the garbage jobs, but I always figured out a way to increase my speed. (Our pay was based on output, and they did not like that I could always increase my pay.)

I was also a seamstress for a local bridal shop, and made Mardi Gras costumes for several months with two different companies. Needless to say, I sewed a lot! Chris even purchased a heavy duty Pfaff that at the time was already 20 years old probably. The beauty of this machine is the chain drive. No belt, this thing is a beast, doing an average of 1500 stitches a minute at full speed. It also has a 1/3 horsepower motor, and a knee lift pressure foot. I LOVE this machine!

The sewing came to a screeching halt February 3, 1993.

We were hit in the rear of our van by a drunk driver while we were at a dead stop.

The story is long, but we were all in the van. Myself, Jessica, and Christina were all taken to the hospital by two ambulances. Chris drove himself and our son, Jere to the hospital himself. After 5 1/2 hours on a backboard, I was pronounced with just whiplash. The girls fared better, Christina was just scared most of all, but Jessica was tall enough that she had a mild whiplash herself. 

What I did not know at the time, was I had two herniated discs and nerve damage in my right arm from the seatbelt. I was almost useless as a mom for a few days, and totally unable to sew because I could not look down easily.

Out of all this adversity, God had the perfect plan in place.

About 8 months after the accident, life was almost back to normal except for me.

My right hand had two fingers frequently going numb, I still could not sew,  and I was bored out of my mind.

For my birthday, I asked for Oil paints and started painting, which was something I had done as a child. I enjoyed painting and started going to a class to be with others and to learn. I paid for classes by working in the frame shop and it was a good fit. Working at the frame shop next door to Alabama Art Supply, I was asked to help out for a week and it ended up becoming part time job as well. 

It also introduced me to a world of better art supplies and books of techniques that I devoured.

A few months in, I sold my first painting and 

Brushstrokes & Brilliance was born at an Arts Alive.

I've now been painting for 25 years and I really LOVE where God's plan has led me!

Juvenile sea turtle, Acrylic on Canvas 12 x 12

Day 48 of the 100 days~100 paintings 2018