Published: May 22, 2006 11:34 am         

Adding color one stroke at a time

Sunday, May 21, 2006 — When she was in fourth grade Vicki Galloway’s teacher wrote on the back of her report card: “Vicki would rather draw than pay attention in class.”

Vicki Galloway has always loved doing arts and crafts.

She has made Christmas stockings, floral arrangements, wreaths. She had floral arrangements for sale at Main Street Emporium.

One day she was watching Donna Dewberry on TV demonstrate One-Stroke painting.

“I thought, ‘I can do that.’”

When the program went off, she got out her paints.

“I couldn’t.”

She had to watch three more times before she began to get the hang of it.

She has been doing it off an on ever since.

She visits a friend at Britthaven Nursing Center every day. When renovations began at the nursing home she learned the wallpaper was to be taken down. She asked if she could practice painting on the wallpaper before they took it down. Before that she had only painted designs on candles, birdhouses and other small items.

When it was finished, everyone hated to see the wallpaper come down.

They were going to put up borders but couldn’t find what they wanted. They asked her to paint them.

“I was delighted,” she said.

Since she started painting at Britthaven she works every day two to four hours a day in her spare time, sometimes six on Saturday,

They took down the window treatments and she is replacing them with borders. She has a three-step ladder; that is as high as she climbs.

She went to Atlanta recently to be certified in One-Stroke. and as of May 3 is a One Stroke Certified Instructor.

At last she got to draw without being accused of not paying attention in class.

She was required to paint a fruit swag and a floral with a bird house. It was a two-day class.

“I could tell it helped,” she said.

She has taught One-Stroke at Ben Franklin. She will probably start back in July.

She said the secret is how to load and hold the brush.

She uses acrylics for most of her work.She uses enamels for glassware.

Galloway is married to Eli Galloway who recently retired after more than 40 years with the U.S. Postal Service.

They have three sons, Timothy 24, who just moved to Nashville, Tenn., where he plays music; Matthew, 22, who is graduating from Montgomery Community College in with a A.A.S in medical science (EMS, paramedic) and is employed by FirstHealth Montgomery County EMS; and Andrew, 19, who graduated from high school last year and is job hunting. He will probably go to school to study computers in the fall.

Vicki Galloway works at Log Cabin.

Mostly she paints borders and trailings at Britthaven. 800 Hall is the most unique.

She tries to tailor the painting to the use of the room it is in. She chose bright colors for the therapy room. The beauty shop features a fence with birds, flowers, and bird houses.

“I have a book of patterns. I start out with something from the book and add my own flair, whatever comes to mind. It is all free hand, nothing stencilled. Sometimes I draw my own patterns. People think it is a wallpaper border. They touch it, scratch it, can’t believe it is paint.”

People like to watch her work. Some of the residents watch so long they go to sleep. Some of them request that she paint specific flowers in their rooms.

People are so interested they look for items to bring for her to use as patterns for her painting. One resident gave her greeting cards with flowers on them she might want to paint. A visitor gave her a book of birds.

She has been working more than a year now and probably will be done in another month.

It may have taken her a year, but her artistry not only far outshines any wallpaper motif available, it will far outlast wallpaper and surely provide enjoyment for residents and visitors alike for years to come.