Local artist brings creative spark to Duplin County seniors

KENANSVILLE — A group of senior citizens gathered in a classroom at the Duplin County Senior and Veterans Services building in Kenansville for a hands-on art class led by local artist Timothy Edmonson of Rose Hill. While 15 participants initially signed up, several were unable to attend the first session, leaving a smaller group to kick off the creative experience.

Edmonson, who was born in Canton, Ohio, moved with his family to southern California in 1966. He discovered his passion for art early in life.

“Early on, I knew that art was my calling,” he said in an interview with Duplin Journal.

After high school, Edmonson earned an associate degree in fine arts from a junior college in southern California, followed by a bachelor’s degree in fine arts from the University of California–Santa Barbara. In 1978, he moved to the Bay Area, where he participated in juried art shows and collaborated with several local arts groups.

At one point, he considered becoming a commercial artist until he remembered watching the classic TV show Bewitched in the 1960s. The main male character in the show, the husband of a lady with special powers, was a commercial artist. The character’s name on the show was Darrin.

“Seeing what Darrin had to go through with his boss, I said, ‘Maybe I don’t want to do commercial art,’” Edmonson said.

Inspired by his father, a skilled machinist, Edmonson decided to learn a trade to fall back on.  While he was in school, he apprenticed as an automotive machinist which fit in line with another of his loves, cars and motorcycles.

In 1996, Edmonson relocated to Rose Hill and took a job working on school buses in Kenansville. He was later offered a lateral move to teach art at a local middle school but found the age group challenging and returned to his previous role. Today, he continues working with the school bus system, now driving a daily route.

Edmonson’s passion for teaching art never waned. Last year, Edmonson was awarded a grant through Friends of the Arts to teach a 20-day fundamentals in art course to fifth graders at Wallace Elementary School. He then taught the same course to middle school students at Rose Hill-Magnolia School where he found the students well-behaved.

That teaching experience soon led to a conversation with Melisa Brown, Director of Duplin County Senior Services. When the topic of a senior art class came up, Edmonson volunteered.

“I told her I had taught students in the elementary schools and the middle schools, so I might as well do the same for my peers,” Edmonson said.

Brown told Duplin Journal she was glad they were able to offer the course.

“We feel with the senior population, they want to do more than play bingo,” Brown said. “We’re expanding opportunities for them, and this was an option that became available for us.”

Brown said Edmonson is volunteering his time to teach the course and the Senior and Veterans Services Center is providing the supplies.

Among the participants, several students shared their personal reasons for joining. Shirley Brown said she hopes to create something that will impress her family.
“I want a beautiful painting for my wall,” she said. “I want to impress my nieces and nephews.”

Eloise James McMahan, another student, said she had taken a class at James Sprunt Community College in the past and was eager to revisit those skills.
“I want to renew what I learned then, especially how to mix my colors and how to darken or lighten the paint,” she said.

For Georgette Turner, the course is simply a creative outlet.
“It’s fun,” she said. “It gets your creative side flowing.”