Peggy Sullens was drawn to art as a child, an interest that led her to pursue painting and win a Halloween poster contest as a second grader at Norcross Elementary. The winning prize: One dollar!
“I won the contest with my poster and was given a check from my teacher for one dollar,” Sullens recalled. “My teacher allowed me to walk all the way into the old town of Norcross to cash my check at one of the stores. Oh, happy days!”
Sullens’ main art form is canvas oil painting, which she mastered in the early 1970s. She dabbles in other art forms such as watercolors and acrylics, but oils remain her first love. She has taught classes for many years, both in her home studio and now strictly at the Bethesda Senior Center.
And you may know of some of her work around town.
That painting of railroad superintendent Trigg Myers in Lilburn City Hall is one example along with a series of Lilburn paintings called “A Moment in Time.” She depicts Old Town and other areas about town, like the historical Salem Baptist Church and First Baptist Church of Lilburn. For First Baptist, she painted six large paintings that depict its major structural changes.
The Lilburn Police Department contracted with Sullens to paint the portrait of slain Officer Michael Tarone Hester that now hangs in the lobby of headquarters off Lawrenceville Highway. She used a “smooth tooth canvas” to paint Hester, who was slain in the line of duty in 1993.
“The part that was most difficult about his painting was the badge and emblem on the sleeve,” Sullens said. “They didn’t show up very well in the photo I had to work from and it was challenging to get the lines straight for the lettering on the car. The face was the easiest to paint. I loved painting the portrait and was honored to have the opportunity.”
So is the City.
Please congratulate Sullens on being our May Citizen of the Month.
