Wilcox County
Drawing and Painting
“Oh my goodness!” Courtney says that living in the Black Belt has influenced her because “there is art everywhere! The perseverance of the area to capture its beauty and to display its heritage is inspiring.” She says her inspiration comes from her faith. “God recently touched our lives in a very blunt manner and He has shown me ways to better my art and I know it is for him that I have this talent.”
Courtney’s material list includes pen and ink, graphite, watercolor, acrylic and oil paints. Her ideas come from everything she sees around her, while her deeply religious upbringing allows her to pray and listen to the Holy Spirit before each work is begun. She says she feels creative everywhere and her life takes her to diverse locations where she is able to “sketch, design, write, explore” because paper and pencil is always with her.
Courtney tried many mediums of expression, besides drawing and painting, when she studied art at the University of Alabama – ceramics, sculpture, weaving, sewing, woodworking and glass blowing, “even (as she said) if I’m not good at them.” She receives rewards for her work, whatever the medium, “seeing someone’s face when I was able to capture a memory or hope or dream they had” from one of her drawings or paintings.