ALLIE SCOTT & THE
MAUDE SHOCKLEY ART SHOW
Across
the Fence
By
Arvord Abernethy
While
down town the other day, I had the pleasure of going by and seeing the
art show which was sponsored by the Maude Shockley Art Club. Hope you
get to see it also.
The
first section was the children’s and young peoples’ art work, and
you would be surprised at the great number of entries and the quality of
their work. It may be a long time, but some of them will be Grandmother
Moses some day.
After
looking over the other paintings and displays, I noticed a table covered
with cards and on each one was a beautiful flower. I thought at first
they were painted, as the colors were so vivid, but on examination found
that they were native flowers that had been pressed and placed on the
cards.
Mrs.
R. D. Todd was the hostess at the show at that time, so she told me that
they were Mrs. Allie Scott’s and also a little about the work. I
called Mrs. Scott and we arranged to meet at the show so she could tell
me more about flower pressing.
One
of the first things I wanted to learn is how she got in to that kind of
a hobby, so she told me this story. As most of us know, her daughter,
Mary, and her husband Bob Gould, have been doing missionary work for the
Presbyterian Church in
Zaire
,
Africa
, for a number of years. Bob is an architect, so most of his work is
planning schools, churches and other buildings for the denomination.
Mrs. Scott and Bob’s mother made a trip to
Africa
in 1968. The Goulds were expecting their first baby, and since they
would be getting a furlough to come home in about a year, they persuaded
Mrs. Scot to stay over that time. She wanted to have something to do
during the time, so she got a job teaching crafts in a school for
missionaries’ children, and one of their projects was pressing wild
flowers.
Mrs.
Scott likes to press the flowers as quickly as possible as that keeps
the color brighter, so she has a book along to put them right into. She
seems to have a special talent in knowing how to arrange the flowers,
leaves and stem in the shape for the best balance and natural beauty.
When
she gets them home, the book is placed under a lot of weight where they
are left for two or three weeks. After that they are glued to the card
and then sprayed with Krylon. This puts a very thin, clear film over the
flowers so it can be handled.
Mrs.
Scott is busy now making a large number of small place cards to be used
at the head table at the Chamber of Commerce banquet. Each one has a
small flower placed on it. She often gives the large cards as gifts, and
I’m sure everyone treasures this unique and beautiful gift very
highly.
There
are probably more wild flowers right in this section of the state than
anywhere else. Many of them we call pests and wish they had never been
created, but place in the hand of an artist, they become things of
beauty.
Ralph
and Cadie Lawrence have done much in the study of wild flowers in
Hamilton
County
, and have made many, many close-up colored slides of them. If you have
never seen a presentation of their slides, please don’t miss the next
opportunity you have.
Shared by Roy
Ables
ACROSS THE FENCE