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At 65, most of us are thinking about retirement. When Alvarado native Jerienne Fowler was 65, she discovered a new talent that redefined her life. And now, 32 years later, she’s still developing that talent with no retirement plan in mind.
Encouraged by a friend, Fowler went to a free painting class when she was 65. She began oil painting and discovered she had a gift for creating beautiful landscapes. "I enjoyed it, and I joined an art club and took a few lessons. But after I covered up the walls with paintings, I had to move on to painting porcelain. Now I’m filling up china cabinets," said Fowler.The detail on her painted porcelain is exquisite. China cups and saucers, porcelain plates, bowls and china sets are adorned with ornate roses, beautiful flowers or tiny bunches of grapes. Some are trimmed in gold filigree. The painstaking process to create the color blends and shading takes several layers of paint, fired in a kiln between each layer.Fowler has not exhibited her work; instead she gives it away to family and friends and donates pieces to charity auctions. Bids for her artwork have surpassed $1,000.Fowler’s paintings decorate walls in many houses, and her porcelain fills several china cabinets. Her extended family occupies six homes on what once was the dairy farm that she and her husband owned. She and her husband also had a grocery store on the square in Alvarado. Her Alvarado roots run deep. Her great, great grandfather, J.F. Wright, was the first mayor of Alvarado."Alvarado was a good place to grow up and raise a family," Fowler said. "Everyone helped everyone else and took care of one another." Her two daughters, four grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren and six great, great grandchildren all live in the area, most within a stone’s throw of each other.Fowler lived by herself until last year, when she moved in with her daughter, Carolyn Acre, who has been inspired by her mother to paint porcelain. "I stopped driving at 95, although I still have my driver’s license. It doesn’t expire until 2014," she said with a smile.When asked the secret to her longevity, Fowler replied, "I don’t give up easy!" Born in 1912, the same year the Titanic sunk, she is the oldest member of her church by a few months.Huguley Home Health nurse Linda Pacheco visits Fowler each week. "It’s a pleasure to know her. She’s taught me a lot about being grateful for family and how God has blessed her. She makes the best of what she’s been given, and she proves if you have the capabilities, there are no age limits. She’s a joy," Pacheco said.
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