Labor of love: Mural marks memories
A passion that began in the ’70s transformed a 70-foot wall into a mural, as one Cape Coral resident was inspired to brighten the day for individuals living in the memory care component of Highpoint at Cape Coral.
Marge Hovey, 88, who has her paintings displayed on the walls of Highpoint, was approached by the management team asking if she would consider painting a mural on the white wall.
“I said yes. I wanted something for the memory care people to brighten their day,” she said.
Part of the reason was her husband, Curtiss, who lived in the memory care unit. He sat and watched his wife of 27 years paint, and complete, the mural, before passing away last month.
“They asked him about me, and he said ‘She is a nice lady.’ Those words stick with me. A few days before his passing, he couldn’t make a sound, but he whispered ‘I love you,'” Hovey said. “He was the most positive person I have ever been around. He would always come up with a positive answer.”
His favorite saying was “Whatever will be, will be.”
The creativity began as Hovey painted for a month, six days a week until the afternoon sun became too hot. She had a friend help her do the underpainting of the wall.
“I started thinking, what do people like? They like flowers. Everyone likes the beach and sunflowers are my favorite for brightness. The last one, I always like Monet and his water lilies, so I painted the last scene with water lilies,” she said.
The biggest challenge while creating the mural was the gallons, upon gallons of paint, as well as mixing of colors to create the perfect hue for the mural.
“Usually I have a palette and a little brush. Here you are trying to mix these colors,” Hovey said. “It was quite a challenge, but it was well worth it.”
Once the paint brush was put down, and the painting was completed on March 13, seeing the mural “come alive” was the artist’s favorite part.
“They had a party back here and an opening,” Hovey said in the courtyard near the mural. “All the people came, invited friends. Had music over here and drinks in here. They presented me with a plaque that is supposed to go in a stand here with just some of my words.”
She began painting in 1977 and has studied with a number of different teachers. On average, Hovey has completed about 100 different paintings a year. Although her favorite medium is oils, she has won awards using colored pencils.
During the winter for 12 years, Hovey and her husband lived in Parede Verde, Mexico, where she painted cruise ships coming in, which were sold at a gift shop.
“In the year of the rooster, they liked paintings of roosters, so I painted quite a few,” she said.
They moved to Florida 12 years ago where her inspiration continued of scenes outdoors and photographs she has taken from traveling. She said she is ready to paint more birds.
The result is what she enjoys the most about painting.
“While you are working you get inspired to do the next one,” Hovey said. “If you go a while without it, you are not thinking that much about painting.”
She has taught a few lessons at Highpoint, and is part of a guild in Tennessee, which she helped build from scratch.
“I taught beginning watercolors there for a while. I tell new people to paint a postage stamp size, to paint 100 paintings to get started and to be active in a group,” Hovey said.
Hovey has two children, four grandchildren and two great grandchildren.
To reach MEGHAN BRADBURY, please email news@breezenewspapers.com