Cindy Howson, Painter

Fri, 07/08/2022 - 8:47am — Amber McIntosh

Art is a form of therapy. It's an outlet for frustrations, a long day, or to express yourself in a manner beyond words. While interviewing Ms. Cindy Howson, I was able to see through her work and her personal interview that art has been her life-long friend.

Originating from Owensboro, Kentucky her love of learning various art forms began at a young age. One thing I noticed during my time speaking with Cindy is that she welcomes a challenge. She enjoys learning different painting techniques and creating art of all forms. In the early 1990’s she participated in a class teaching Tole Painting. For those of you who do not recognize this term, Tole Painting is the folk-art form of painting on tin and wooden utensils, household items such as gourds, furniture, and other items.

Ms. Howson never stops being curious about new ways to create. During her time as an artist Ms. Howson has created with watercolors, acrylics, alcohol inks, and colored pencils.

In her previous home of Fairfield Glade, TN she was very active at the local arts guild. Pictured in this article is her pencil drawing “The Girl from Baha,” that won the People’s Choice Award in a showing.

Outside of paints, another medium she works with is various cardstocks and colorful papers to create ornate cards, that are keepsakes. Cindy’s new studio is an absolute den of creation! All the tools of her trade from paints, brushes, and various card stocks and patterns are available at her fingertips awaiting to be made into something beautiful. Every artist needs their own space, and she now has her own as well.

In 2011 a cancer diagnosis came knocking on her door. However, she relied on her art and her love of painting was her saving grace during that difficult time in her life. During this time, she began to work with acrylic pours and discovered alcohol inks. I happily report that she is a survivor and in full remission.

Her time for this interview was greatly appreciated and I always love learning new things. I feel the residents of Butler County truly do not realize the number of individuals with artistic talent in our community. I am meeting more and more of them every day. With every interview I am continuously blown away.

Cindy truly has a heart for sharing her gift. While interviewing she offered to show my youngest daughter and I the basics of painting with alcohol inks and I have to say we loved it. In my opinion the process of learning to create is relaxing and the time we spent with her showing us how to work with the paints was amazing. Since moving to Butler County, Ms. Howson is now active in our arts guild as well. She is currently on the committee for the upcoming Chalk Art Festival in September and looks forward to continuing to create and share her gift with others.