Although her journey to becoming an artist was somewhat long, Jackie Lord said it all began “right here in Selma.” After taking an art class with Dorothy Price, Lord said her life was forever changed.

“It all began here in Selma in a small art class that had been advertised in The Selma Times-Journal as ‘Art Classes on the Riverbank,’” Lord, a Selma native, recalled.

After participating in the class, Lord said her world opened up and with that came joy, beauty and an appreciation for art that she still carries with her today. And it is this joy and beauty that Lord hopes to display in the Selma Art Guild gallery throughout the month of April in which she sill serve as artist of the month.

The title of her exhibition will be “It’s been an Emmaus walk,” a title Lord said she believes fits well with her work.

“As Paul’s eyes were opened on his journey to Damascus, so too have mine been opened on my life’s journey in to the visual arts,” Lord said.

Lord’s works, which range in mediums of oil, acrylic, watercolor, and photography, will be on display at the art guild beginning Sunday, April 7.

And although this is the first time Lord’s works will be displayed as a collection, she knows the Selma Art Guild, located at 508 Selma Ave., very well.

“I was very good friends with Charles and Alice Hohenberg, the couple who donated the building to the art guild to use as a gallery,” Lord said. “Thanks to the generosity of Miss Alice and the love she had for the visual arts and many local artists, we now have this beautiful gallery that has meant so much to so many in Selma and the Dallas County area.”

Lord said the works she will be displaying demonstrate how she has grown as a person and evolved as an artist.

Mostly, she said she wants those who visit the gallery to grasp the deep love she has for the arts.

“I was hesitant when they first asked me to serve as the artist of the month,” Lord admitted. “But then I realized what a great opportunity is was to show my work and pay homage to the Hohenberg family.”

Lord’s work has also been on display at Gallery on the Boulevard in Tuscaloosa along with the Selma-Dallas County Public Library.

She has been a member of the Selma Art Guild for several years and has served as president and director of the gallery. She is also a member of the Alabama Watercolor Society, the Tuscaloosa Art Guild and the Louisiana Watercolor Society.

Her works are rich in color and vibrant with thick brushstrokes, often revealing scenes of nature.

And while she currently resides in Northport, Lord said Selma has always remained “home,” and she’s excited to display her work at the art guild throughout April.

“I hope that my art will open your eyes to see what I have attempted to capture,” she said.  “Whether with a painting or a photograph, these are all depictions of the blessings God has set before us.”