“Kámámá” by Jane Parish, Parsons Presbyterian Manor
Inspired by what she was seeing on Pinterest, Jane Parish started her career as an artist in 2016 painting whimsical designs on furniture. Within a few years, she had taken on the hobby full-time and had evolved her craft into painting pictures for family Christmas gifts.
“In addition to being relaxing, painting and drawing for me is a good self-esteem builder since I have always lacked in that area. Viewing the finished product is rewarding but still very hard for me to grasp the accomplishment,” said Jane.
Jane isn’t particular about what she paints. The only criteria she has is that it’s “doable.”
“I’m not one to attempt something I know is out of my league because that would result in frustration, thus defeating my purpose for the work,” added Jane.
When her daughter asked her to paint a butterfly for her guest room, Jane rose to the challenge. While it wasn’t something she had painted before, she was drawn to the project due to her love of nature and the colorful beauty of butterflies.
“I enjoy the detail and the colors in things associated with my Cherokee heritage,” said Jane.
It’s only fitting that she named the piece “Kamama,” which is Cherokee for “butterfly.” The acrylic painting depicts a section of a Swallowtail and is the Art is Ageless® Best of Show – Amateur winner for the 2025 Art is Ageless Calendar.
“My reaction to winning Best of Show was disbelief at first. I had to read the letter twice before I was convinced!” shared Jane.
Competing in Art is Ageless isn’t new to Jane. Neither is drawing inspiration from her heritage. She first entered the competition when she turned 65 and has entered every year since – one of her past entries was a pencil drawing of an Indian Chief. She’s now 71.
Jane entered the local Art is Ageless competition at Parsons Presbyterian Manor, in Parsons, Kansas.
“I appreciate PMMA® for offering Art is Ageless. They appreciate value of allowing seniors to share their variety of talent within the community in hopes to inspire others to rebirth a hidden talent they may have,” said Jane.
Jane likes to keep herself busy dabbling in a variety of hobbies so that she never gets bored. When she’s not drawing or painting, she enjoys playing the piano, sewing, crafting and creating mixed media pieces with vintage jewelry. Jane is married with two children, five grandchildren and two great grandchildren.