LONDON, KY - The painting depicts an idyllic, ordinary scene of pure Americana: A father and son at their favorite fishing hole as the sun sets on a summer evening. But the story behind the painting is anything but ordinary.
It shows London Police Sgt. Logan Medlock and his five-year-old son, Brantley, enjoying one of their favorite pastimes. It is a scene that will never be repeated, because Sgt. Medlock was killed by a drunk driver while on duty last October, leaving his son without a father.
Another extraordinary aspect of the painting is that it was produced by an artist who is legally blind, who works in the dark and who credits divine intervention for her ability to create beautiful landscapes and portraits on canvas.
George Ellen Jackson's bedroom also serves as her painting studio
George Ellen Jackson of London has only been painting about 18 months and has no formal training. Yet she has produced about 2,000 paintings in her studio/bedroom in her home on Dixie Street.
Jackson said she’s been wanting to do something special for the Medlock family ever since that fateful night in October. “I live here in town and I actually heard the crash that night,” she said. “So, he’s laid on my mind for a long time. I’d met him a few times before and he’d always stuck out to me. He was such a fine young man.”
When she decided to use her talents to help the family, Jackson contacted Sgt. Medlock’s father, LPD Major Randy Medlock, so see if it was okay. Major Medlock said he was impressed and moved by the finished painting.
“On behalf of Logan and our family we would like to extend our gratitude to George Ellen for her time, efforts and generosity that she has shown to us,” he said. “The painting is a beautiful piece. It is a perfect portrayal of a couple of Logan’s passions, fishing and family. Thank you George Ellen.”
Jackson is raffling off the painting at $5 per ticket, with all of the proceeds going to Brantley and Sgt. Medlock’s widow, Courtney. The winning ticket will be drawn at an art show sponsored by Jackson’s artists group, Painting New Beginnings, on August 12 at the London-Laurel County Farmers Market.
Raffle tickets can be purchased at the police department or by contacting Jackson on her Facebook page HERE.
George Ellen has no vision in one eye and very little in the other due to a tumor on her optic nerve. She paints in the dark, with one small light to illuminate the canvas. But the blindness is not a handicap, because she believes her artistic talents come from a higher power.
“When I look at things I’ve done I don’t remember where I got the inspiration or how it all came together,” Jackson said. “It’s like God led me and flowed through me. Because I don’t know how they come out the way they do.”
Jackson also credits God with leading her to painting in the first place, and possibly even saving her life. She had a myriad of health problems. She couldn’t drive anymore. She became depressed. Then Covid hit. It was getting to be overwhelming, and she became suicidal.
“I prayed about it one night for God to help me and send me something to ease my mind and my heart,” she said.
The next morning, Jackson’s son came downstairs after rummaging around the attic and had a box of canvasses, brushes and paints. The painting supplies were not there when the family moved in about a year ago.
“And I said, ‘God, I’ve got it. I know what you want me to do,’” she said. “I’ve painted every day since then.”
George Ellen Jackson wants to share her God-given talents with as many people as possible. She does some paintings on commission. She sells some outright. She donates paintings to worthy causes. She also drops some off at the nursing home, where she holds painting classes for the residents.
“I just have to paint,” she said. “I may not be able to see very well, but I have these beautiful images in my head that I want to share.”
SOURCE: London Police Department, KY
