Since she could remember, Della Scott has been drawing stick figures on blackboards and painting Christmas scenes on glass windows. She says she’s always been inspired to paint, but today the 80-year-old Pace resident’s art portfolio is much more impressive than her elementary school days decades ago. Scott is one of the many artists featured in the Dragonfly Gallery in downtown Milton. She specializes in oils, watercolors and pastels and was self-taught until she moved to the area in 1992 after retiring from federal service and took classes at Pensacola State College. “I had done some commission work but I was never able to devote enough time to it,” she said. Scott’s passion for art comes from the joy each painting brings. “It’s all-consuming. You start painting and hours go by,” she said. “Each is a challenge you have to overcome.” A motto she learned from class and follows when painting is, “See, observe, remember.” Some of Scott’s paintings are inspired from places she has been, such as her piece titled “Colorado River.” Others are taken from photos or combinations of multiple photos. And no matter how long she has been painting, Scott says she is still learning from other local artists in the Dragonfly Gallery, as well as some of the greatest artists of all time. She is currently working on an oil piece of one of the angels painted on the Sistine Chapel. She is still in the drawing phase and said this piece has been a great challenge. “I picked the most beautiful (angel) I could find. They have extremely long legs and the arm is reaching out, toward (the artist),” she said. “I’m learning from the best, from Michelangelo.”
About the Gallery The Dragonfly Gallery is at 5188 Escambia St. in Milton and is a mission of the Santa Rosa Arts and Culture Foundation. In exchange for displaying their artwork, the Gallery is staffed by the member artists and is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The feature room will begin displaying Mary Ellen Shugart’s basketry the first week of January and will change to feature another artist on Jan. 10. For more information, visit www.thedragonflygallery.org or call 981-1100.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Local artist shares passion, tips on painting