Painting with Pearson

Award-winning painter and Azle resident seeks to teach students and sell paintings at Grace and Faith Center

Gil Pearson is a 90-year-old Azle resident with a passion for art and a life-calling for Christian ministry.

Born on Dec. 20, 1932, Pearson started preaching at 17 as an exhorter in the Church of God in Maryland. By 25, he was ordained. He traveled throughout the country as an evangelist and pastored a number of churches in the following decades.

Pearson worked with several famous televangelists like R.W. Schambach, A.A. Alan, Leroy Jenkins and Al Wyrick. “I was the afternoon speaker under the tent in (Schambach’s) ministry and introduced him each night to the congregation,” Pearson said.

Pearson came to Azle from Florida a little over a year ago after much coaxing from his sons. He gave away his mobile home and gold-trim Cadillac, packed all his possessions in a U-Haul and moved to Texas. For most of his life, Pearson never stayed in one place for too long. He would move from city-to-city or even country-to-country to preach the gospel and help others through his missionary work.

In 1985, Pearson began working with ministers in the Navajo Nation.

“I paid for and shipped a few hundred Bibles and I found out their other need was that the babies didn’t have enough clothes,” Pearson said. “So, in my revivals, I would make the comment that I was collecting baby clothes for Navajo Nation and if they had used baby clothes, clean them up, iron them, and I would be happy to package them and take them. So, I took trailer load after trailer load of baby clothes and got them distributed… Now that I’m back (out West), I’ve gotten in touch with a guy that I know is in Indian ministry and I’m going to start to try and help a little bit.”

At about age 70, the cost and energy required to travel caused Pearson to turn more toward his second love, art. Living on the east coast, Pearson still took a trip to Haiti every holiday season as a missionary and to help feed kids until just a few years ago.

Pearson began seriously pursuing art as a minister in Fresno, California. Pearson saw an ad in the paper for art lessons at Langdon Studios.

“I had never had art lessons, I painted some and sold a few, but I didn’t know what I was doing, and I still don’t really.  So, I went in to meet Gary Langdon and his wife, they were both artists with a studio there.” Langdon told him, “if you can draw, I can make you a great painter.”

Pearson felt intimidated after seeing the skill level demonstrated on the other students’ canvases during his first class, so he avoided the art studio for a few weeks out of embarrassment. When Langdon was able to get back into contact with Pearson, he laughed and informed him that he had painted the majority of what Pearson saw and that the students were just adding details.

“That put my mind at ease,” Pearson said.  “I started relaxing. I took classes two or three times a week for maybe two months.” After two months, Pearson became much more confident in his skills and ability and even began helping Langdon teach his classes. “We became great friends,” Pearson said. “He recognized that I had a little bit more than a talent, I had a gift to produce good paintings.”

Currently, Pearson only has one art student, a 21-year-old girl on the autism spectrum named Brooklyn.

“They thought I would be a little more patient than a lot of other art teachers,” Pearson said. “(Her mom) called me and asked me if I would attempt to teach her to paint because she loved to paint and color and she loved flowers. She’s a sweet lady and is quiet, doesn’t talk much. She can’t remember very well so I have to be very patient, but I’ve taught her two-and-a-half hour classes for four weeks now… She just lights up when she comes in here. Now she talks a little bit to me, and her mother is so excited and happy that I’ve helped her some.”

Pearson has since gotten the idea that he wants to expand his classes and the resources he offers to people with disabilities. Pastor Larry Davis is working on building a ramp to allow immediate access to the art room in the Faith and Grace Center building. “He’s wanting to accommodate, and he feels that I can be an instrument to help him in ministry. I preached yesterday,” Pearson said.

Ministry has remained the most important defining character throughout Pearson’s life.

“I’m a preacher who paints, I’m not a painter who preaches,” Pearson said.

After a long period of searching, Pearson found a home at the newly opened Grace and Faith Center headed by Pastor Davis.

“They’ve embraced me as family here,” Pearson said.  “I went to about 10 churches before landing here.”

In the past, Pearson taught painting at an accredited church college and at a gallery in Maryland. “I’m vocal, I don’t mind telling you everything and I don’t hide anything… I’m not holding back anything. I’ll show them how to mix things, cause shadows to look realistic and I’ve learned enough myself that my brain has some things that would be very valuable to new painters.” Classes typically run for about two-and-a-half to three hours and Pearson is willing to furnish some of the materials if necessary. “I’ve got hundreds of brushes,” Pearson said. “I apply my Christian teachings. Give and it shall be given to you.”

Pearson wants to offer discounted prices to those struggling financially and to people with disabilities who have a passion for art. “If they’re interested and they call for prices, I can try to work with you,” Pearson said.

Pearson likes to draw from pictures of real subjects to inspire his work.

“Very often I see a picture and I think ‘Oh, that looks nice, I could do that’ and I take parts of that picture so it’s not plagiarism. If it’s 13 percent yours it’s not plagiarism according to law.”

Pearson wants to take in more students, connect with artists in Azle and find clients or venues interested in buying his art. For serious inquiries, Pearson can be reached at 352-220-2222.

“A portion of everything I sell goes to gospel, to struggling churches,” Pearson said. “If you’re interested in any of (the paintings) I can quote prices and some of them I can offer them giclées.”