THE VERY FIRST... THE VAUGHN HOME

How it all began, how

Mumsie's Cottage

became more than just a name for my home.

Before this very first home portrait, I had been

dabbling in scrapbooking, making photo frames,

covering boxes with beautiful papers, making cards, etc.

But painting, painting had been put on the back burner for many years.

Let me go back a few years to when I was a childhood Cancer survivor

and although my parents still did not know if I would ever

live to see adulthood, they wanted to prepare me for the

"what if" I could not play sports nor was I interested in that.

My Dad, being an artist in his own right with his photography business

and beautiful drawings and paintings, put me in private art lessons

with a wonderful woman, Godlyn Serigny.

I was 8 when I started and 16 when I ended, 

8 years of private art lessons in the home of a woman I adored.

Because she worked in oil paint and I learned with oil paint,

her home always smelled of Linseed oil and Turpentine.

It was an old home and the smell, the smell was beautiful!

Every Saturday morning, Daddy drove me there and I learned to paint.

Then I grew up, had a family and painting was forgotten about.

Which now brings me to the paintings.

I was making things but I believe I had a "painters block".

I had not picked up a paint brush in probably over 20 years

and did not think I was good at it in any way.

One night I prayed on my "momma" rosary for the Big Man

to lead me on whatever journey I should be on with my art.

The next day, without even thinking I began painting a few angels.

Everyone sold. I have none left to show aside from photos.

Even though I was painting again, I still had little confidence on 

what else I should be doing, to make a difference with my talents.

Again, I went to my trusty "Momma" rosary and asked for guidance.

The next morning I had the urge to paint a house. Not my own cottage, strangely,

but that of a home of one of my friend's/neighbor Rhett Vaughn.

I often think why was I called to paint Rhett's home. 

I loved it enough, had often said had it been for sale when i bought the cottage

I probably would be living still on LaBauve but on the corner.

Back to the story.... Not really knowing what I was going to do, 

I first contacted Rhett.....

"... Can I paint your house?"

I am sure it took him a while to figure out what I meant,

thinking I wanted to literally paint his house.

I explain, "I want to try to paint a home portrait and yours is it.

With his permission, I began my task a little fearful as

1)I had not painted for over 25 years 

2)Someone else knew I was painting their home.....

I shocked myself, I had never drawn a home and yet

I sketched a home using a ruler and a photo of his home.

I traced my drawing onto a ceramic floor tile

(this was before boo thought of slate)

that I had laid down a piece of newspaper on from the 1800's.

I got out the paints and just started painting.

This is what the final painting looked like.

I posted it and Rhett... well, he loved it, wanted to purchase it but

I had no clue what such a thing should cost.

We agreed on a price and he proudly took his home portrait home.

this was almost three years ago and I am so proud to say,

since that first home not only have I ever run out of orders

but I have over 80 orders of people waiting their turn patiently.

Sometimes I do a piece and I honestly surprise myself

as to how it came out so I know not only was this a gift my 

parents gave me as a child but God leads my hands sometimes.

I often think I found something no one else was doing yet

and people just love their homes.

I have to say that my work gets better with each painting I do.

Praying for the family I am painting for, going through

hundreds of pieces of music to let my fingers pick

the correct pieces to add to my slate, makes

my work very personal and also in Mumsie fashion,

every piece is given a love letter to the back.

So here it started, enjoy the stories of miracles that have

arisen with each home I have painted.

I now feel confident enough, when people ask me what I do

for a living I can say

"I am an artist".