ABBEVILLE, KATC - Kathy Lejeune is proving that it’s never too late to pursue a passion project. “Don’t wait, just do it,” she advises. “Just do what makes you feel good and what you enjoy, because life’s too short.”
Lejeune’s artistic journey began during the pandemic, when she found herself home alone as an empty nester. “COVID sent me home with nothing to do,” she recalled. It was then that she picked up a pad and pencil, reigniting a skill she had left behind at the age of twelve.
“I prayed, I started drawing and I started paying closer attention to details that I was trying to learn to do,” Lejeune said. Despite her initial hesitation—her first drawings, she admits, were “really horrible”—she posted them on Facebook, where they garnered unexpected appreciation.
What started as a simple pastime quickly blossomed into a full-fledged artistic endeavor. “You have Angus, you have Herefords, you have Brahmas; there are even some longhorns down in this area,” Lejeune explained. “So I just put them all there” in her vibrant depictions of cattle.
This year, her talent was recognized when she was asked to design the poster for the 74th Cattle Festival, an opportunity she describes as a “labor of love.”
“It’s just a really good feeling when someone appreciates the time and effort you put into something like this,” Lejeune said. “Every piece of art is like a little piece of you that you’re giving out to somebody, and it means something special.”
Lejeune’s journey serves as an inspiring reminder that it’s never too late to embrace creativity and share it with the world.
