A Beautiful Night for Wild and Holy Things
Kitty and Carrie Jaxon, IAC Director
There are some moments in life that feel almost too beautiful to take in while they are happening.
The reception for Wild and Holy Things at Troy University’s International Arts Center was one of those moments for me.
Having a solo exhibition like this has been a lifelong dream—one of those dreams I’m not sure I ever really expected to see come true. To walk into such a beautiful gallery and see my paintings hanging there, and then to have a night set aside to celebrate the work, was incredibly special.
I am so grateful to Carrie Jaxson, IAC Director, and Mrs. Janice Hawkins for inviting me to share my work in this space. From the very beginning, I was treated with such kindness and thoughtfulness. Everyone involved made me feel that my work—and the stories behind it—mattered. As an artist, there are few gifts greater than that.
And then came the reception.
The room filled with so many people from different parts of my life. Family surprised me by driving down from North Alabama. My local family, including my parents and siblings, nieces and nephews have always been there for me and I appreciate that so much. Friends and members of the Troy community came. Mrs. Jaine Treadwell with the Troy Messenger was there and she has always supported both my musical work and my art. There were Troy University faculty and leadership, including Dr. Jack Hawkins, students, community members, and even some of the sweetest little children wandering through the gallery and looking at the paintings.
Everywhere I turned, there seemed to be another familiar face, another hug, another kind word, or another conversation about a painting.
It was a little overwhelming in the very best way.
I kept looking around the room and thinking about how many years painting has been part of my life—from being a little girl who simply loved making things, to studying art at Troy, to spending so many years working at the university, and eventually finding my way back to painting in this season of my life.
And now those paintings were hanging on the walls at Troy.
There was something wonderfully full-circle about it.
I left that evening feeling both humbled and deeply honored. Art can be such a solitary thing. So much of it happens quietly—just an artist, a canvas, and an idea that may or may not become what you hoped it would. To then see people gather around those finished paintings, ask about their stories, and connect with them in their own ways is something I will never take for granted.
Wild and Holy Things is a collection about finding beauty and meaning in ordinary places—in gardens, fields, flowers, memories, light, and the pieces of the natural world that have shaped me.
That evening became another one of those beautiful things I want to remember.
I’m also grateful to Troy University photographer Aliza Chambers, who captured so much of the evening so beautifully. Many of the photographs I’m sharing here are hers, and I’m thankful to have these images to help me remember such a special night.
Wild and Holy Things will remain on view at Troy University’s International Arts Center through September 10, 2026. After the exhibition closes, paintings from the collection will become available for purchase.
Thank you to everyone who came, everyone who helped make the exhibition and reception possible, and everyone who has encouraged my work along the way.
It truly was a beautiful night—and one I won’t soon forget.
