Meet - Laurel Gillespie

When I was in the third grade, President Kennedy was assassinated. I felt sad and wanted to do something to help. I drew a picture of Lyndon Johnson standing in front of the White House with the flag at half-staff. My parents sent the picture to Washington, and a White House staffer sent me a note thanking me for the drawing and saying that it made them feel better. 

That's when I decided to draw and create, and express myself and express for others. 

I have pursued art both formally and informally all my life. I became a nurse because I wanted to help people. Now that I am retired, I can spend more time in the studio. 

My name is Laurel, and I'm an artist living in Crocker County, North Carolina. I've been married to my wonderful husband, Jon, for a long time, and we have two children, a boy and a girl, who are both married. We also have one granddaughter.  

Jon and I love to volunteer our time to help others. We volunteer at local charities in Crocker County, and we volunteer for a disaster relief organization.