Citizen Spotlight: Pat Hall, watercolor Instructor, Senior Center Alabaster
Pat Hall’s family is from Chilton County, but her dad was a medic in the Air Force so she lived all over the country and even the world growing up. Pat spent six years in Germany, France, and England as a teenager. “In London we had a teacher who taught us about the opera and then he took us on a train to see the opera. We went to art museums and other sights. It was wonderful,” Pat says. After England, she and her family moved to Wolfforth, Texas (Population 3,317), near Lubbock. Not such a great experience except that Pat met her future husband Doug there. His family lived next door. “He had a little red sports car, and I would see him darting up and down the road. One day he knocked on my door and asked to go on double date. That was basically it!”
When her parents retired, the family moved back to Alabama, and Pat’s family followed in 1970 and moved into Alabaster. “We were here for 10 years, and then in 1982, Doug got a job in Michigan, and we moved again,” she says. In 2000 Pat and Doug moved back to Alabama for good. “Alabaster is a great community, and the schools, you just can’t say enough good things about them,” Pat says. “I have seen the town grow so much for the better.”
“I always wanted to draw. I cried until my parents got me painting lessons in fifth grade. Even in Germany, I got on a bus and went across town to take lessons. It was in me, always. In 1982, I took up watercolor full time and have been at it ever since. In October 2009, I started offering lessons at the Senior Center in the little house by the railroad depot. I started with 10 to 15 students, and some still come today. It’s not just about me teaching, it’s the camaraderie of being together in the same phase of our lives. We do a lot more than just paint. We call this a very inexpensive counselling session. It works for us. For many, this is the highlight of their week. It’s certainly mine. And with Doug having a stroke, he is now here with me as the greeter at the center. You can’t come here without seeing Doug. It’s a blessing all the way around.”
“Watercolor is challenging to learn in a good way. You need quality supplies to make it work. So I buy professional watercolor paper and furnish it, because the water will destroy the paper if you aren’t careful. We also use professional paints, so the paper won’t get too wet and tear. Usually students buy their palette from me, and I fill it up with good paint. The brushes don’t matter as much. In oil painting you typically start darker then paint lighter. In watercolor it’s the opposite. For example, when painting a white flower with oil you would use white paint. With watercolor we leave the paper itself white. We start light and go dark. That’s the beauty of watercolor. That sparkle you get from the paper. I have thousands of images on my computer, and I’ll pick something out and we will work on it for two weeks because people get bored typically after that. We paint landscapes, animals, people, barns, just a variety of things.”
About The Senior Center
The Alabaster Senior Activity Center offers a variety of programs and services for individuals 55 and older who live in Shelby County. The membership form is on the city website: https://www.cityofalabaster.com/199/Senior-Adults or call 205-663-1307. There is no charge to be a member, although some fees may be charged for certain trips, programs, and activities. If you are interested in watercolor painting or any of the activities offered at the Center, please call 205-663-1307.