During his eight months working at the nursing home, 225 S. Philpot St., the 37-year-old Cedartown resident has painted three murals on the walls for the residents there.
According to Vines, he has been painting since he was only 6-years-old and painting murals for about five years. He painted his first mural, he said, at a church in Buchanan.
“It just came naturally to me,” he said. “God gave me the talent.”
Patsy Bilbo, administrator at the nursing home, said that she was aware of Vines’ talent from working with him at another job and encouraged him to use it to make the Cedar Valley Nursing Home a more welcoming and soothing environment.
“I’ve kind of turned him loose in the nursing home and told him to do whatever he thinks will fit, she said.” “He’s very talented and a real asset for us.”
Vines’ work on the walls of Cedar Valley so far includes several nature scenes and one of NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt. Each piece was done, he explained, with specific needs of the nursing home residents in mind.
One mural in particular, which is painted on the wall in one of the main gathering places inside the nursing home, is of a stream surrounded by colorful trees. Doves, Vines’ signature in his major pieces, can be seen flying through the air at the bottom of the mural. That mural, he said, took a little over a week at five hours a day to complete and was painted to help the residents relax.
“When the residents look at that picture it makes them feel right at home and at peace,” he said.
“It gives everybody something more pleasant to look at,” Bilbo agreed.
In fact, Vines has taken the concept of personalized art a step further by painting pictures on the ceilings in the rooms of residents that spend the majority of their time in bed.
“They tell me what they like,” Vines said.
Though Vines is content with his job as the floor tech at Cedar Valley, art is his real passion, and he hopes to make a career of it eventually.
“I want to go further with my art. I’m just waiting for the right person to come in and see it,” he said. “Something has always told me to be patient.”
Vines said that he hopes to be able to do more art at churches in the future. Biblical scenes and lighthouses, he said, are his favorite things to paint.
He stated that he is open to any type of art job and in the past sold some of his work on canvas, in addition to murals. Both Vines and Bilbo said that the residents and staff of Cedar Valley have been very receptive to the paintings.
“They love it,” he said.
Vines is quick to thank Bilbo and the rest of the staff for allowing him to
use the talent he is most passionate about, even purchasing the paint that
he uses for the projects.
“I’m proud to work for these people.” Right now I am going to stay as long as they want me.”
Though Vines would like to take his work to the next level, he said he is content just to bring a little happiness into the lives of those that view his art.
“If I can bring a smile to a kid’s face, a grown-up’s face or a resident’s face, then I’ll be happy,” he said. “I’m not in it for the money.”
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