The Villages - February 2018 - 48

{ For ThE

Love

oF ArT }

- A r t i s t D A r l e n e H Ay e s -

S a v o ri ng Ev e r y Su n s e t
By Rica Lewis

A butter-soft sky melts into an icy pond. Pine trees
prick the scene and brown grass sprouts from mud
mounds like dirty little fingers. With striking detail,
Darlene Hayes has painted a watercolor world.
The diverse collection of her work includes a pride of
lions, wild horses at play, blooming orchids and sunsets
on Lake Sumter. In fact, Hayes has painted many Lake
Sumter landscapes since moving to The Villages. In
her Village of Bridgeport at Lakeshore Cottages home,
postcard-perfect views are an everyday muse.
"We always wanted to be on the water," she said.
"It's just perfect here."
But it took many years for Hayes to find her way to
The Villages - and to her canvas, too.
"Growing up, I always loved art," she said. "I did well
with it, but I didn't realize I had a talent."
It wasn't until she got married and moved away
from the Minnesota farm where she grew up that she
discovered her creative bent. A young mother living in

48

FEBRUARY 2018

California, Hayes took oil painting classes at night.
"It was my outlet," she said. "When the children
napped, I painted."
Over the years, Hayes had many different jobs.
"I worked as a legal secretary and then a district
manager for Revlon Cosmetics," she said.
Soon, Hayes and her husband, Jack, were living
in New York and running a successful management
consulting business. International travel and day-today tasks kept Hayes from her canvas.
"For many years, I didn't even think about my art,"
she said.
Vacations brought Hayes and the family to Orlando.
"We loved Florida," she said. "One day, we asked
ourselves, 'What are we doing? Why don't we move
here?'"
In 1996, the couple bought their first Florida home
and began frequenting the golf courses with friends.
Later, they found their dream home in The Villages.



Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Villages - February 2018

Contents
The Villages - February 2018 - Cover1
The Villages - February 2018 - Contents
The Villages - February 2018 - 1
The Villages - February 2018 - 2
The Villages - February 2018 - 3
The Villages - February 2018 - 4
The Villages - February 2018 - 5
The Villages - February 2018 - 6
The Villages - February 2018 - 7
The Villages - February 2018 - 8
The Villages - February 2018 - 9
The Villages - February 2018 - 10
The Villages - February 2018 - 11
The Villages - February 2018 - 12
The Villages - February 2018 - 13
The Villages - February 2018 - 14
The Villages - February 2018 - 15
The Villages - February 2018 - 16
The Villages - February 2018 - 17
The Villages - February 2018 - 18
The Villages - February 2018 - 19
The Villages - February 2018 - 20
The Villages - February 2018 - 21
The Villages - February 2018 - 22
The Villages - February 2018 - 23
The Villages - February 2018 - 24
The Villages - February 2018 - 25
The Villages - February 2018 - 26
The Villages - February 2018 - 27
The Villages - February 2018 - 28
The Villages - February 2018 - 29
The Villages - February 2018 - 30
The Villages - February 2018 - 31
The Villages - February 2018 - 32
The Villages - February 2018 - 33
The Villages - February 2018 - 34
The Villages - February 2018 - 35
The Villages - February 2018 - 36
The Villages - February 2018 - 37
The Villages - February 2018 - 38
The Villages - February 2018 - 39
The Villages - February 2018 - 40
The Villages - February 2018 - 41
The Villages - February 2018 - 42
The Villages - February 2018 - 43
The Villages - February 2018 - 44
The Villages - February 2018 - 45
The Villages - February 2018 - 46
The Villages - February 2018 - 47
The Villages - February 2018 - 48
The Villages - February 2018 - 49
The Villages - February 2018 - 50
The Villages - February 2018 - 51
The Villages - February 2018 - 52
The Villages - February 2018 - 53
The Villages - February 2018 - 54
The Villages - February 2018 - 55
The Villages - February 2018 - 56
The Villages - February 2018 - 57
The Villages - February 2018 - 58
The Villages - February 2018 - 59
The Villages - February 2018 - 60
The Villages - February 2018 - 61
The Villages - February 2018 - 62
The Villages - February 2018 - 63
The Villages - February 2018 - 64
The Villages - February 2018 - Cover3
The Villages - February 2018 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/thevillages/TheVillages/ContinuingTheDream_Vol6
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https://www.nxtbook.com/thevillages/TheVillages/DreamALittleDream-RRO
https://www.nxtbook.com/thevillages/TheVillages/ContinuingTheDream_Vol3
https://www.nxtbook.com/thevillages/TheVillages/ContinuingTheDream_Vol2
https://www.nxtbook.com/thevillages/TheVillages/ContinuingTheDream
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