Jimmie Lee Sudduth is 95 years old!

On March 10th, I enjoyed a visit with Jimmie Lee to celebrate his 95th birthday. He was waiting for me when I arrived with a pound cake, a large planter and numerous plants for him to plant in his urn.

click on images above to see full-size image

click on images above to see full-size image

Mose Tolliver is recovering from a stroke

For slightly more than a year, Mose has been recovering at his home. Sadly, his days of painting have come to an end. His daughter, Annie Tolliver, is taking very good care of her Dad. He still relishes having visitors and loves blooming plants. He has a nice African violet collection that he enjoys. If you'd like to send a card, please do. The steady stream of collectors that once beat a path to his door has dwindled but he still loves attention from fans and collectors who remember him. I am so fortunate that he still lives five minutes from my gallery. Please come to Montgomery and pay both of us a visit.

The Art Creation Foundation for Children

I'd like to tell you about an non-profit organization that is dear to my heart, the Art Creation Foundation For Children. I am honored to serve as one of its board members. It was co-founded by a dear friend, Judy Hoffman, who visited Haiti three years ago and came home transformed by the widespread poverty she encountered. She has since formed a wonderful non-profit organization that is making a real difference in Haiti for at least one group of children. Since the horrible flooding and storms that have recently ravaged Haiti, help is needed even more now.

Our Director in Jacmel, Vladimir Simeon  and our Assistant Director, Pat Lamont can obtain most of what is necessary in Haiti. For additional information, please visit the ACFFC web site:

http://www.artforhaitianchildren.org

Our goal is to make a difference, one child at a time.

Also, Judy Hoffman is a wonderful photographer who is offering a high quality print of any of her photographs shown on her web site for a $65 donation to ACFFC. Her site:

http://www.judyhoffmanphotography.com

Please send checks payable to:

Art Creation Foundation for Children
C/O Judy Hoffman
108 Westwood Court
Lake Worth, Florida 33462

This is a tax-deductible contribution.   The organization has been granted 501(c)3 status. Thank you in advance for your help.

Hope's House

In November we began a huge huge project - restoring a 100 year old house in a tiny south Alabama town to serve as an artists' shelter. Hope Atkinson has been living in three rooms of the house since last Thanksgiving in lieu of her barn on the shore of Lake Superior. Since her only heat in her barn is a wood burning stove, winters there are very difficult. Most of her time each winter is spent just trying to stay warm which makes creating art (producing her only income ) practically impossible. The week of Thanksgiving was very special for a group of individuals who were motivated to help Hope have a better winter existence. I am so grateful to John and Ellie Blue, Tim Flinn, Ned Berry, Paulette Riley, Kenny, Helene and Stephanie Roman who came together at various times and helped Hope and me to get three rooms of the house ready to be her winter home. At the end of ten days the house had new wiring, new plumbing, a new bathroom floor and new rafters and roof over a porch studio area and some new interior paint. The house still needs an enormous amount of work but little by little it has been transformed from a place that birds and squirrels called home last summer to a very pleasant rustic abode. Hope has done the most work since the "work party." She has removed a number of windows, reworked them and put them back in. Since we are truly restoring the place, the old tongue and groove and bead board is being refurbished with oils unless previously painted.

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