The one consistent force in McClain’s life has been her art. This drive to create has led her to pursue the road less traveled and has given her catharsis in life.
 
McClain says her first memories of art trace back to her days in church when her mother would draw pictures of her father.

“I would ask my mom ‘where’s daddy?,’ and she would draw me a picture of him in the boat in the middle of the ocean, and it just fascinated me how she did it.”

That innocent moment of a mother entertaining her small daughter opened a gateway to McClain who soon began drawing pictures of her own – whether it was in notebooks at school or even margins during a test.

“Eventually, other kids would trade quarters or candy for one of my drawings,” she said.

Her love for art soon prompted a change of scenery. Originally from Apalachicola, McClain was disappointed to find that her high school did not offer art classes. After much pleading, her mother sent her to Port St. Joe where she could quench her artistic desire.

Upon graduation she spent time as a graphic artist and a cartoonist for her church’s cartoon publication. She also worked at the WINGS juvenile justice program in Franklin County where she mentored troubled kids.

Art was still calling to McClain. In 2002, she eventually made her way to Gulf Coast Community College after a 12-year hiatus. It was there that McClain met an instructor that changed her outlook on art.

“(Roland) Hockett had a great way of teaching. He allowed you just to create and find your own way. He really allowed you to find your own creative freedom.”

It was Hockett who told McClain she should pursue painting.

“For my violin piece I just threw everything at the canvas and Roland told me I should try painting,” she said. “I thought ‘Who? Me? Paint? No way!’ I like pencils!”

However, once she started she has never looked back. With this newfound skill, her paintings have not only gotten larger in scope but larger in meaning as well.

McClain had been on a spiritual journey – one that has found her back at church.

“If you had asked me 10 years ago would I have walked back into a church door, I would’ve laughed and said ‘no way,’” she said.

McClain’s spiritual quest, brought on by a search for answers and understanding, was resolved when she found solace in the Blessed Virgin Mother Mary.

“In the religion I was raised in, Mary wasn’t an important figure,” said McClain, “But I became interested in her and what she represented – a strong woman who could overcome so much in her life. I felt instantly connected with that.”

In the Virgin Mary McClain found a powerful female figure that she and other women could identify with. That was when McClain undertook the painting that would change the course of her art. Simply titled, “Mary,” the painting was painstakingly researched using Byzantium and modern art as inspiration.

McClain wanted her painting to reach across religious boundaries and touch women of all faiths and backgrounds to share McClain’s shared vision of a mournful Mary, who may be broken and facing endless trials, but is still strong and raw in her power and femininity.

McClain says that one of the most rewarding experiences of her life has been the women who came to her after seeing the painting and told her how deeply moved they were.

With a new gusto, McClain tackled new projects. She was hired to paint a mural inside Dixie Divers, a Panama City diving instruction school, in February 2005. She wanted to depict an authentic, yet magical, image of life under the waves. One that would truly capture a diver’s love for the ocean and the mysteries it holds.

Using only pictures of a reef and a shipwreck that she found scavenging for inspiration, McClain completed the mural in two months time. The finished product showed two lone divers alone in the sea, surrounded by all manner of marine life and a small propeller of a wreck, sticking out from the coral on the ocean floor.

After completing the mural for Dixie Diver’s, McClain wanted to give something back to something back to disadvantaged children in the community, so she contacted the Panama City Marine Institute and offered her services free of charge to paint a mural for them in a drab and bare room.

The Panama City Marine Institute is a place for local troubled teens, who can find a quiet place where they can learn about the ocean, its many creatures and find role models in the staff that works there.

“I wanted my mural to say to kids, ‘if you dream it, you can be it,’” said McClain who undertook the project in summer 2006.

Finding inspiration from the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau and several photographs she found online, McClain crafted her mural, which features a school of dolphins swimming freely.

“I wanted it to be peaceful and soothing,” said McClain. “The dolphins represent freedom and family. And, that they (the children) can pursue their dreams.”

The mural took her over a month to complete and the final product made both the children and the workers beam with pride.

With her latest work, McClain explores the concept of the body as a temple and “girl power” and unity. Her work was shown in 2005 at the Visual Arts Center’s “Glimpses Anchored” and again in 2006 at the “National Watercolor Competition.”

McClain describes her artistic process as very hermit like.

“I need to be alone. I need to be able to be free to talk to the painting and fuss.”

While closed off in her inner sanctum, she listens to soothing music that reminds her of one of her greatest loves – the ocean. She finds her current inspiration not only from her spiritualism but also that she feels strong women need to be more prominent in art.

“Pop culture gives us such bad examples of what a woman is supposed to be,” said McClain who feels that her artwork is uplifting to the feminine soul.

She feels her unique insight into both spirituality and female issues is what sets her apart from the growing art community in Panama City.

McClain’s view on her art and femininity is essentially about survival and creating a “cradle of comfort” in a world that ravages their self-image and imposes boundaries.

“I want women to create opportunities for themselves,” said McClain of having a positive outlook for her gender and its powerful role in society.

McClain is also positive about the resurgence of the art community in Panama City.

“Both the Visual Arts Center and the Art Cooperative have helped a lot,” said McClain who feels that Panama City is slowly undergoing an artistic transformation.

Other artists are also coming into their own, she said, and the vibe in Panama City has changed in recent years. Coupled with the beautiful scenery of the Emerald Coast that McClain draws on for inspiration, she is planning to stay in the area for quite some time.

“It has great ambiance,” said McClain of her home. “On a quiet night you can hear the train and the whippoorwills, what’s not to love?”

McClain’s art work can be seen and purchased at the Perk n’ Surf coffee shop in the Panama Plaza next to Airport Furniture on the corner of Highway 98 and Lisenby Avenue.

McClain’s artistic outpouring isn’t remotely finished. She plans on having an exhibition of her latest work in August 2007. The show will feature as many as 40 new pieces she has amassed.

Her journey has been long and varied, with many stops along the way. However, McClain’s art has flourished in the region she adores and equipped with her spirituality and belief in herself, her art will continue to grow and blossom for years to come.

You can find out more about Angel McClain and her work by logging onto her Web site at http://499angels.net/angelarthome/