In February, Elizabeth Jackson of Orangeburg bought two watercolors of hummingbirds at an area flea market. In doing so, she was continuing a passion for artwork that began in 2005 as a form of personal healing.

"I started collecting things that I found beautiful three years ago because my whole family had been affected by lead poisoning due to the paint in our old house," Jackson said. "We had begun sanding the walls, which released paint dust into the air that we all inhaled. It was a very trying time. As a result, I had to find a way to feel good on the inside. When I would leave the doctor's office after finding out what they were going to do to treat my children, I would walk by the paintings. It made me feel better."

Jackson says the first piece she bought for her collection -- which has now grown to more than 200 pieces -- was a frame of hand-painted glass windows from the Edisto Habitat for Humanity Home Store that was produced by Elizabeth Stewart, a retired Orangeburg school teacher. Stewart has been painting these colorful works since the home store first opened five years ago.

Home Store Manager Joanne Thomas says Stewart doesn't seek attention or accolades for her work because it fulfils her need for volunteer work.

"People like the treatments that (Stewart) paints on the windows so they have been selling as artwork, with the proceeds going to Habitat for Humanity for the purchase of building supplies," Thomas said. "Since many of these framed windows don't fit the window openings of newer houses, we can't sell them for that purpose. Stewart does this as part of her volunteer work for Habitat, which includes painting the houses that are constructed for Habitat clients."

Stewart says the effort is "fun."

"I've been painting the baseboards in the homes Habitat builds and working in the home store since it opened five years ago," she added. "Since these old windows had been piling up for some time, I thought that maybe if I could put something on them that people would enjoy, we could sell them and Habitat could use the profits.

After purchasing the hummingbird watercolors, Jackson found information on the back of one of them that led her to contact Hazel E. McCants, another retired Orangeburg teacher, who had painted the piece in 1982.

"On the back was Ms. McCants' address and phone number," Jackson said. "The seller at the flea market said she bought both watercolors at an estate auction after the original owner of the paintings had died. At first, I put off calling because I thought it might bring up some old pain for the artist, especially if the deceased was family. When I called in mid-August to tell Ms. McCants

how much I enjoyed her work, she said she hadn't done watercolors in over a year and would be very interested in seeing them. "

McCants, who taught mostly in Orangeburg during her 36-year career, says her love of painting didn't come from any innate motivation on her part. Instead, she was goaded into taking an art class in Columbia not long after her retirement.

"In 1980, one of my friends told me that I had to come with her and take painting classes," said McCants, laughing at the memory. "I told her I wasn't interested, but she kept after me and eventually I relented. I grew to love it because it's an exercise in entertainment for me. In my 'art room' -- I refuse to say studio -- I don't seem to concentrate when I paint because it is more of a mental diversion."

The watercolors that Jackson had purchased came from a late friend of McCants, who had taught at the same school. McCants says she gave the paintings to her coworker, whose husband later framed them.

"I was shocked to find out how much seeing those watercolors meant to me, so much so I was tempted to buy it back from (Jackson)," McCants said. " My family and a few friends now have many of my paintings."

"When I started painting, I began working in watercolors, but in the last year or so, I have worked exclusively in oils," she said. "The reason is that watercolors require more energy to create than I have these days because you have to do them quickly, or they look bad. Oils are more forgiving and can be painted over a long period of time without affecting the quality of the piece."

After meeting Jackson, McCants gave her another watercolor that was taken from the artist's early works when she focused on early American themes centered around cotton production. The piece was titled "If There Is A Will, There Is A Way." It depicts an African-American couple riding in a mule-driven wagon that was taken directly from a 100-year-old card that McCants found in her late husband's personal effects.

McCants also has other pieces that utilize everyday materials, such as a violin, bow and sheet music painted on a piece of wood secured inside an old, discarded violin case. McCants also used oils to paint birds and foliage on Corian countertop material. The resulting effect was a vivid image in which the colors "pop."

"I sold my first work after I began painting, but it just didn't feel right," McCants said. "After that, I reasoned that if someone thought enough of the painting to hang it in their home, I would just give it to them, and I've given away all of my paintings ever since."

T&D Staff Writer Phil Sarata can be reached by e-mail at psarata@timesanddemocrat.com or by telephone at 803-533-5540. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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