Annabelle Usher

Bio

Born to solid hard-working folk, father a manager and mother a nurse Annabelle was supposed to go into medicine. But she loved to sing, play the piano and most of all to make things by hand. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord became a way of life as did Scouts, choir, weekday Bible School, and Vacation Bible School Music plus arts and crafts! And As R. L. Lewis one of the original Highwaymen painters cities her work as being by one anointed by God to paint.
Sent to the liberal arts college, The University of NC at Greensboro, she fled to the comforting sound of music and the university's production of the King and I cutting pagodas out of plywood and sculpting headdresses out of automotive quick drying solder. Then she defected to the North Carolina School of the Arts.
Three years and 2 seasons of summer stock later , with a Bachelors Degree of Fine Arts in hand worked in college theatre and dance companies until a production in Monroe, NC spearheaded by compatriots from NCSA folded. All was not lost as she found her future husband there. He said come with me, you don't have to work so hard for so little, come with me and paint.
Doing a lot of free lance jobs was somewhat rewarding as was designing exhibits for the SC Museum Commission. In 1985 moved to Florida, rented storage units and painted between customers.Worked on a few films and started reclaiming antique heart pine wood and making and installing floors, tables etc. And painted and exhibited with the Jacksonville Coalition for the Visual Arts until the husband developed severe health problems and needed a liver transplant. With the long, sleepless nights came the realization that painting is what relieves the soul.
Now as the vision starts to go, the hand aches, and disease ravishes the land, some acclaim would be great. There have been a couple of competition wins and have donated pieces to various charities but most work is in private collections and still at home. A little money would replace the spent tubes of paint and the stereo that the Devil killed during this painting depriving the workspace of contemporary Christian music or a website. This whole process has been quite the spiritual journey with the Devil trying to interfere in whatever way he could.
However, the Lord always says to pick up the brush, he will do the rest and He does.

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