At 94, she’s finding fans for her art amid a pandemic. ‘I had no idea I could paint.’
At 94, Imogene Holmes lives under a COVID-19 lockdown in her Harnett County rest home, where she spends her time painting flowers and butterflies.
“I haven’t been outside the front door in six months,” she told The News & Observer in a phone call last week.
She first picked up a brush at 87, urged on by a friend from a local class. But for Holmes, an even bigger surprise than churning out 200 portraits in her ninth decade came in finding a fan base in the midst of a pandemic — a feat she has managed.
“I had no idea I could paint,” she said. “My husband didn’t even want me to paint the wall.”
Last month, Holmes called her church friend Becky Blair, who owns the B Hive gift shop nearby in Lillington. Cary residents will remember Blair’s store Science Safari, which featured Ozzy the iguana as its mascot. Blair once threw the lizard an in-store birthday party.
But on the phone with Blair, Holmes said she had a vision. The Lord spoke, she said, and told her to sell her paintings at B Hive. In the first week, Holmes sold 20. One went to Colorado. Another to Texas. A video on the B Hive Facebook page got 8,000 views.
“I had a lady from Raleigh call,” Blair said. “I told her they’re $10 and $2 for shipping. She said, ‘No, no, I want to pay her 50.’ “
At Universal Healthcare, Holmes can’t take visitors. But the staff brings her to the door and lets Blair stand 6 feet away, where she collects her friend’s work by the box. All the money from sales goes to their church, which isn’t holding services because the pastor is 83.
But Holmes has her own room set aside for painting, where she picks up her brushes each morning.
“Just till I get tired,” she said. “I get tired so easily. I paint a little more and I rest. At 94, you’re not as young as you used to be.”
This story was originally published August 6, 2020 at 11:14 AM.