LaCount Anderson

This past spring I had one of those nights when I could not sleep. I began thinking about the 2026 wall calendar and the title Birds of Praise 2026 Inspirational Calendar by LaCount Anderson was born. All through the spring and summer I discovered birds and had an enjoyable time creating paintings of these beautiful birds. Each month also has a verse from the Psalms to serve as inspiration to the viewer throughout the coming year.

If you would like to know more please click this link:

https://lacountart.etsy.com/listing/4375068926

Hummingbird

See LaCountArt.etsy.com for purchase options.

The whole collection is included in my 2026 inspirational calendar. Click here https://lacountart.etsy.com/listing/4375068926

This past Christmas we visited the home of my friend Greg Price. He had recently moved into his new home and we were excited to see his new digs. I noticed a saxophone displayed in a corner of the living room and inquired about it. Greg played the Sax in high school and college and had received it as a gift a few years ago. I was fascinated by the keys and impressed about how the light bounced around the instrument. I took a photo and began this painting to give Greg as a gift. I started it while still visiting and spent the month of January completing the painting. Those keys were my biggest challenge! It was completed sometime in February.

It is available as a print if you are interested. https://lacountart.etsy.com/listing/1858117576

Earlier this year we took Jennings, our grandson, to a local farm to have a day of fun. Among the fun things were a carousel ride, a farm trailer ride complete with tractor, and chickens. They were everywhere. Jennings loved to try to get close, only to find they would run away as he approached each chicken. I took some photos while visiting the farm and here you can see my crazy chicken drawings.

This blue boat has become a symbol for me this year. I recently celebrated my 72nd birthday. My life has been fun and exciting full of love, but not without challenges. The viewer will note the blue boat has a few dings and scrapes. I, too, have a few dings and scrapes along my life’s journey. The boat is still going and anxiously awaiting the next trip. So am I.

I love driving the roads of eastern NC. We take a regular trip to Ahoskie each week. The drive is beautiful with farmland and familiar crops growing in the fields. In January we enjoy viewing the snow geese and swans as they migrate. I have been looking at this barn and tree for years now. The tree is especially beautiful in winter. In this image I have chosen to use purple to indicate the feeling of the winter season.

Grace church was established in1854. In 1831 there was no church in the town of Woodville. There was Old Pugh Chapel at Turner’s Crossroads now called Lewiston. Now the town is called Lewiston-Woodville and Grace Church is near by.

For several years, 1842-1854, the Episcopalians went to St Thomas Church in Windsor, NC for baptisms, and confirmations.

The ancient sprawling oak tree shades this example of Gullah architecture, once the home of Moses Ficklin, church deacon and undertaker on Daufuskie Island, SC.

“ In 1830, just after sunset on Daufusky Island, South Carolina, a slender black soul would light a fire outside the door of the weathered clapboard ‘Praise House.’

They came quietly to this only gathering place they knew, to sit on the backless half-log benches outside and inside along the wall. At first there was silence…then one person, probably a woman, began softly to hum a well known tune that had it’s origin in Africa and would eventually become the basis of a well known spiritual, that would express their primitive religious faith. As others joined in, and the music escalated, hands clapped and feet began to stomp.

This setting was the forerunner of the First Union African Baptist Church on Daufusky Island, South Carolina.”

The Battle Home was constructed in 1835 by Benjamin D. Battle, a son of Joel Battle, founder of Rocky Mount Mills. Rocky Mount Mills was a major supply of material for the Confederate Army during the Civil War. In 1863 Federal cavalry burned the mill but the officer in charge spared the home because he and the superintendent of the mill were both Masons. The home is now used as the mill’s main office. It has been carefully restored to preserve all of the old detail.

This painting is on display at Bel Arts Center, Rocky Mount, and is available for sale.