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| MILDRED HARTSFIELD |
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Mildred Hartsfield has been preserving Maury County History, through her paintings, for the past 20 years. She has several
paintings on permanent display at the Maury County Courthouse including paintings of the Old Bethel Hotel and Annoatuck. In
addition, some of her other historical paintings include the Hamilton-Gouldin home in Williamsport, a Mount Pleasant Civil
War Scene (a reproduction was published in the Mount Pleasant travel brochure), St. John's Episcopal Church in Mount Pleasant,
old Central High School and McDowell School in Columbia, Mynders School on Pulaski Pike, Blythewood and the Athenaeum in Columbia
just to mention a few.
Her oil painting of Haynes Haven was presented to Saturn president Bill Hoglund and now hangs in the presidential corporate
office in Michigan. She also painted the "Welcome to Spring Hill" painting for the Saturn Corporation. Her Columbia
downtown painting of "Circa 1916" was featured on the front cover of the Columbia Area Wide phone book in 1993-1994
and 250 limited edition prints of the painting were sold by Columbia Main Street in honor of the city's 175th anniversary
celebration.
Mildred recently donated two 24 X 36 oils of "Stillhouse Hollow Falls" to the Division of Natural Heritage and
Greenway Foundation for a benefit auction to help preserve the waterfall. One of the paintings was purchased for $20,000.00.
This is one of her proudest moments as an artist.
Mildred is a self-taught artist, drawing and painting since the age of 6. She grew up in the small town of Loretto and
started free-lancing while in school, earning a little money along the way. 'You want it, I will paint it' is Mildred's motto.
She has painted religious scenes on the interior panels of caskets, termites for an exterminator, historical buildings and
even pets for 'television stars'. Mildred married state trooper, Wayne Hartsfield, and moved to Shelbyville. While living
in Shelbyville she went to work for Josten's Graphic Art Division, where she worked for 12 years. She remembers the work as
being very difficult, hand engraving etchings for business greeting cards. This was done the old fashioned way, etched with
acid and done in reverse for printing. When she and her husband moved to Columbia, Mildred purchased the Lemon Tree Gallery.
She still owns and operates the business located in the Northway Shopping Center. Mildred is a very active member of the Maury
County Arts Guild and serves on the Visual Arts Committee.
| CHARLES SNOEK |
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The life story of Charles Snoek is one of hard work, true love, exotic travels and . . . pure luck. Snoek, a Port Arthur,
Texas native, began his collegiate studies in graphic design and ended them shaking hands with serendipity to begin a career
that would take him all over the world.
Charles lost his father at age 5 and by age 11 he was helping to financially support his mother and seven siblings, working
for (the now) Kroger Company and was promoted to store manager upon graduating from High School. His product advertising caused
sales to skyrocket, so impressing a national brand distributor that they sent him to art school.
He started his formal art training at North Texas State Teachers College in Denton. After a year at North Texas, Snoek
transferred into commercial art at Lamar Tech where her received his B.S. with honors, then went to work with Lamb Printing
Company. He was working on a brochure about Lamar University with the head of the Journalism program, when through sheer fate,
he ended up in an interview with a representative of Upjohn Pharmaceutical Company, who came to canvass pre-med students.
After talking for more than an hour about the company, Snoek finally confessed he was a commercial art and engineering major,
not pre-med, but he still was offered the job.
During the next 34 years, Snoek and his wife, Lunella, have lived throughout the US and Japan. A sales leader in 1963,
he rose quickly within the company and was soon working in the pharmaceutical division where he was in charge of corporate
advertising. In 1964, Upjohn placed him in charge of product planning and promotion. His marketing decisions increased sales
from less then $2.5 million to more than $50 million in six years. By 1971, he was managing director of Kasei Upjohn Co. in
Japan, a joint venture between Upjohn and Mitsubishi Chemical Industries. When the venture concluded, he was back in the corporate
office with responsibility for all public relations and advertising for the chemical division, managing two advertising agencies
and three public relations consultant agencies to handle communications for the division worldwide. Trips to Holland and Portugal
were frequent. In 1983, Snoek and his wife, Lunella, relocated to Tokyo when he was appointed director of corporate public
relations for the Asia/Pacific area. During his tenure, he was presented with Upjohn's highest merit, the William E. Upjohn
Award.
Charles retired from Upjohn in 1990. The couple moved to Onalaska, Texas on Lake Livingston where he took up oil painting
in earnest, specializing in surrealism (the art of producing incongruous imagery in art by means of unnatural juxtapositions
and combinations). His work, mostly forms of nature, encompasses all mediums, but he prefers acrylics, oils, pen and ink,
and airbrush, sometimes mixing all mediums in one work. He paints brilliantly colored images of everything from aquatic life
to surrealistic hands. 'My favorite thing to paint is probably the thought or the opportunity of the moment', he said. 'But,
if I had to pick a favorite subject, it would probably be the tall birds, the herons and egrets.' Lunella creates backgrounds
for his paintings and chose to take up the hobby because spending time together is a top priority for the couple.
The couple now reside in Spring Hill where they are living the life they have always wanted. If he and Lunella aren't
found in their painting studio, they can be tracked to an exotic fishing locale, and, if not there, then certainly on the
links. For the pair, right now is the right time and wherever both are together is the right place. Charles and Lunella are
members of the Spring Hill Visual Arts Guild and Charles serves on the BOD of the Spring Hill Arts Center.
The aquarium in Moody Gardens in Galveston stocks Snoek's collection of note cards, titled "Under The Sea".
Some of Snoek's pieces from his butterfly collection are hung in the East Texas Art League gallery in Jasper. Charles painted
an acrylic of a speckled trout for his cardiologist, a turkey with spread wings for a local bank president and a set of surrealistic
playing cards. He is now making reproductions of his art in the form of note cards, calendars and prints. The quality of his
work makes the cards and prints ideal for gifts or suitable for framing.
| JAMES KITTRELL |
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Artist James Kittrell was born and raised in Nashville, TN. He was blessed with the creativity to produce beautiful works
of art and was displaying his talents at the early age of 5. He continued throughout his formative years to produce artworks
for friends and relatives.
When James finished High School, he joined the Army with the devotion to serve his county. He served a two-year tour in
Alaska. While in Alaska James further refined his talents with pastels and he supplemented his military income by painting
family portraits for fellow soldiers. Upon returning home to Nashville, he married and started a family and went to work for
the CSX railroad. He was employed by the railroad for 36 years.
James never stopped producing art. He continued to draw in pen and ink and paint with pastels. He has sold several prints
and drawings of railroad art and continued pastel paintings and portraits. Many of his works were sold to fellow workers and
their families.
During the 1980's James attended the Harris School of Art. Besides classes in drawing and pastels, he also explored and
developed his talents with oil painting and sculpture.
During the later years of employment with CSX railroad, James and his wife, Addie, moved to Columbia where he is now pursuing
a fulltime career in Fine Art and Portraits.
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