“Find a reason to get up every morning, something that takes your mind off yourself.”

—Alice Moseley

After watching the morning sun make sparkles on the water and fishing boats glide by on a glorious fall morning, we turned off the beach road and drove along a quiet street in Bay St. Louis, searching for a blue house where a famous folk artist lived. Our hostess at the Bed and Breakfast where we were staying had called ahead to announce our visit. Ninety-four-year-old Mrs. Alice Mosely, petite and perky, dressed in blue pants, a red vest, and sporting a red beret in her pretty white hair, waited for us on her front porch.

We walked past a white picket fence lined with colorful flowers and up the porch steps. Once inside, she introduced us to her best friend and constant companion, Herman the beagle, who she rescued years ago from the animal shelter.

We found that her art is similar to that of the legendary Grandma Moses, yet, as her critics have remarked, Mrs. Mosely has something extra—a sense of humor. Each painting has a quirky title, for instance: Life has so Many Angles, Git up to Snuff, You’ve Time Enough, and Life is so Daily. There is a story behind each painting, and this unique lady has accumulated many stories in her lifetime of 94 years.

After a series of unfortunate trials, losing her father to suicide, nursing her mother through a long siege of Alzheimer’s, and then watching her beloved husband pass away, she chose to go on with life and make the most of every day. Her advice for achieving a long satisfying life: “Find a reason to get up every morning, something that takes your mind off yourself, then get up every day and do it.” She also believes there is enormous talent in older people that often goes undiscovered.

Mrs. Mosely is a self-taught artist, who began painting in her sixties, during a very stressful time in her life. “I just picked up a cheap set of paints and began,” she says, “I didn’t even know I could do it.” Her paintings have achieved acclaim from art critics, art educators, and art collectors. Her work has appeared in shows and museum exhibits throughout the South.

When I asked her how she came to live in Bay St. Louis, she explained that she had received five invitations (all for the same weekend) to show her art. Not knowing which to choose, she asked someone to pick an envelope at random. The lucky draw was Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

“The minute I drove across the bridge and saw the ocean gently lapping against the sand,” said Mrs. Moseley, “I liked what I saw.” Being Presbyterian, she believes in predestination. Thus, the lady artist and the rescued beagle living together in the blue cottage was all preordained by the Lord.

I would love to fill my house with Alice Moseley’s happy folk art, but I purchased only one painting: “The House is Blue but the Old Lady Ain’t.” It is a rendering of her life in the blue cottage. The lady who “ain’t blue” dances out front with Herman, the rescued beagle, beside her. An angel watches overhead while the happy pair wait for the next guest to arrive.

I have described a memory from a time before Hurricane Katrina slammed into Bay St. Louis, destroying the historic Bed and Breakfast we had visited. I wonder if the little blue house survived that storm. Google tells me that Mrs. Moseley passed away in 2004, over a year before Katrina.

Alice Moseley’s story is not merely about Folk Art. It is about the Art of Living—taking what life brings and giving back with what one has to offer the world.