By JOEL McNEECE
The brightly colored painting of a crucifix hangs on the south wall of Hometown Cafe in Bruce and never fails to illicit a comment or two, which thrills artist Autumn Samuell.

“I posted a picture of it online when I first got through with it and got a lot of response – both good and bad,” Autumn said. “It’s one of my favorites. It makes me take a second look every time I see it, even now.”
Autumn, 28, has been drawing since she was a small child. She took art classes in middle school at Bruce and began to discover how much she loved it.
“My teacher Jean Carr Pullen saw something in me and really pushed me,” Autumn said. “She’s definitely a hero of mine.”
Years later she saw a television advertisement asking you to draw a character and submit it for possible admission to the Art Institute. She received confirmation of a top level score and decided to pursue some coursework, which she is now nearing completion.
Autumn has worked with all kinds of art techniques including watercolors, oils, calligraphy, charcoal, pencil, portraits and even refurbishing furniture.
She explained how she enjoys working with different glazes to bring old furniture back to life. She’s also in the process of experimenting with “crackling” furniture.
“Crackle” is a technique that can give modern furniture a more antique, rustic look.
“I’ve read a lot about it but I haven’t actually done it yet,” Autumn said. “It’s definitely something I want to try soon.”
When it comes to painting, the oils are her favorite to work with.
“The colors blend so easily and it has a great texture to it,” Autumn said.
Autumn has created paintings for numerous homeowners and businesses. They often rely totally  on her creativity.
“Most don’t tell you exactly what they want,” Autumn said. “They’ll give you a general idea, the colors they’re looking for and I’ll just come up with an idea. I’ve done some paintings for people without ever going into their home.”
“I can paint on anything,” Autumn said. “You see that when you come in my house.”
She has painted scenes directly on the walls and on her cabinets.
“My son’s room is a jungle scene with lions and tigers,” Autumn said. “He likes to paint some too, but he generally paints himself more than the canvas.”
Among her favorite subjects to paint are floral designs, crosses, nature scenes, and abstract pieces.
“I probably love abstract art the most,” she said. “I do a lot of that.”
“It’s very gratifying to take a vision in your head and paint it and have others take joy in it,” Autumn said.
Most of Autumn’s works take approximately five hours to complete, but with a 3-year-old son, Greysen, and her job with Bruce Telephone Company, she never completes one in a single sitting.
Among her recent projects is “splash” painting, which she has shared with the youth in her church – Pleasant Grove Baptist (Chickenbone).
“Splash” painting involves a story or song being played while the painters splash paint with their hands or brushes in a design, producing a related image.
“It can be pretty powerful,” Autumn said.
One of the great joys of art for Autumn is its originality.
“So many people can get things computer generated today that look like a painting,”?Autumn said. “But what I do is very special to me because it’s all done by hand.”
Autumn said art also provides her with an escape, an opportunity to clear her mind.
“I don’t think about anything when I’m painting,” she said. “There is a great freedom to it.”
“Everybody has a hobby of some kind. Painting is it for me,” Autumn said. “I just love it.”