By Kay Pruitt
(Editor’s note: From 2 until 4 p.m. Sunday, September 24, a celebration will be held at First Methodist Church, 903 Broadway in Minden. Mayor Nick Cox will proclaim it Cora Lou Robinson Day and she will receive a Women in Arts certificate and pin and DAR Community Service Award.)
The Dorcheat-Bistineau Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution is pleased to announce that Cora Lou Robinson of Minden, Louisiana, has been selected to receive the American Heritage Women in the Arts Recognition Award. This award recognizes women who are outstanding in their achievements in the non-performance arts.
Cora Lou Robinson began seriously painting after receiving an honorable mention in the 1974 Ladies Home Journal primitive art contest. Although she never had formal art training in the field of painting, she felt led to record on canvas scenes from everyday life in a small community. Using paint and a brush she takes a nostalgic look at her community often relying on her memories of growing up in what she deemed as an almost perfect childhood.
Influenced by the impressionistic style of painting, Cora Lou Robinson is a folk artist who has mastered the primitive art style of painting. She once stated that she could paint everyday of her life; what began as a hobby has led her to local and national recognition.
Over the years she has generously shared her art by donating original works and prints to organizations near to her heart. She has been an active supporter of the Minden St. Jude auction since its beginnings in 1976. She has donated many pieces of her art to be auctioned thereby bringing in thousands of dollars to support the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. In addition, she has donated her art to the Dorcheat Historical Association Museum to raise money at their annual silent auction. The proceeds of this auction help fund the museum.
She believes that every painting tells a story; consequently her paintings have found an appreciative audience in collections from California to Florida. She paints from her heart, and her work brings to mind a place and a time we once knew or wish we did.
