I have a great daughter-in-law. Not only does she keep my son supremely happy…or at least thinking he’s happy all the time…but she is so talented and hard working. She’s creative and has invented new meanings for the word recycle. That’s because it never ceases to amaze me how she can take a piece of trash, or something she has found in somebody else’s trash and make it into something new, useful, and beautiful … a work of art. She and Jim are working on renovating their third house where their hard work and her ingenuity and creativity have changed it from an eyesore or underused building in the town to a true tax ratable and award winning masterpiece people come to see and enjoy.
And I know where she gets all her creative talent, too. It’s called Cindy Fraser.
Cindy is Stacey’s mom and is a charming attractive and friendly lady who also lives in Mississippi and has transformed her own home into something like a museum with all the unique touches and talents she has poured into it.
Her hobby is painting and her favorite is folk art. So when she gave me one of her outstanding pieces as a gift when I was in Mississippi earlier this month, I was overwhelmed.
There are some tricks to Cindy’s artistry. In her folksy scenes, like the one she gave me, there are always lots of people, and they’re rarely alone. There are practically always happy kids in her paintings, the way she thinks all kids should be. The kids are always doing something, be it jumping, running, skating, skipping, or working.
And there are always adults around as well, usually couples or people together. Cindy is a people person and it shows in her artwork.
Her paintings have lots of light, be it from snow or sun, from streetlamps or interior. Kind of her own expression that light is so superior to drab and darkness.
And there are always animals, but not just any animals, animals that you wouldn’t expect to see doing things you wouldn’t expect to see them doing. And that’s the fun of it all.
You also have to look closely at Cindy’s busy picture scenes, because one of her other tricks is to put in some quirky action or animal that you have to look closely to find…then laugh because it makes you feel good to see it. In this photo, there are at least three different kinds of animals doing things or being places you wouldn’t expect.
So look closely at this painting, my newest cherished possession from a warm-hearted artist and friend. Take a couple of minutes to find the unusual, laugh at the silly and admire the artwork. It just makes you relax and feel good.
