Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Brenda Peacock is not sure how long she has been painting angels. But she has no intention of not painting angels.

“As long as I can,” she said. “And, as long as it might help.”

For Peacock, painting angels is a way of self-expression, a way to help others express joy or sorrow and, especially, a way to support the life-saving efforts of St Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Peacock can’t put a finger on the exact date she made a commitment to help raise funds in her “small way” for St. Jude.

“But, I started painting angels because I believed in what Danny Thomas was doing to help babies with cancer,” she said. “At St. Jude, lives were being save and I wanted to be a part of that in some small way.”

Peacock’s dad was an artist and, just out of curiosity, she decided to see if she had inherited any of his talent.

Her first attempt was not what she had hoped.

“I tried to paint an angel and she was pitiful,” Peacock said, laughing. “Her wings looked more like butterfly wings than angel wings.”

Peacock realized that, if she was going to paint angels, she had nowhere to go but up.

That angel with butterfly wings was the beginning of what is now an ongoing mission in support of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and also to do something Peacock loves to do and something in which others find joy and peace.

“Paintings of angels make special gifts for the birth of babies and for birthdays,” Peacock said. “I have requests for paintings of angles when someone passes away and in memory of someone. I’ve had requests of angels of all different kinds – of doctors, nurses, firefighters, paramedics, anyone who helps in times of need.”

And, in the year 2020, there was been even more interest in angels.

“Right now, we are seeing more acts of kindness because so many people are hurting and for so many different reasons,” Peacock said. “There are all kinds of angels among us.”

For Peacock, the year has been a challenging and busy one. So much so, that she put down the paint brush to tend to other things.

“So much was going on that I didn’t have my head on straight,” Peacock said. “Then, around the first of December, I felt the need to paint. I wanted to paint.”

So, paint she did. One angel after another. “It was a good Christmas for angels,” Peacock said. “So, I was able to do something in support of cancer research at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, even in a short time.” Peacock donates every dime that she receives from her angel paintings to St. Jude. She does not take any expenses from the proceeds, not for canvases, paints or anything associated with the angel paintings.

“It all goes to St. Jude in the fight against childhood cancer,” she said. “That is what I can do and what I want to do. It’s that important to me.” Peacock expressed appreciation to all of those who make it possible for her angel art to help the St. Jude children and their families.

“There are no charges for the services at St. Jude and the angel paintings are what I can do to support childhood cancer research and those babies,” Peacock said. “Those who buy the angels also support St. Jude. Christmas 2020 was a good time for angels and I thank all of those who bought the angels at Christmas and throughout the year.”