Mary Eileen Russell is the kind of person who loves details and can find beauty anywhere she goes.

From paintings featuring mountains and lakes to lighthouses and even country-side barns, Russell delves into her memory and searches for that special something, then sets out to create her masterpiece.

Her artwork and “artistic memories and thoughts,” called “Mindscape Creations,” can be seen at the Holland House on Boston Avenue in Nederland.

Russell, of Vidor, has never had an art lesson and has not been professionally trained, she said.

 “I’ve been blessed to have been able to travel both ends of the United States and some of Canada and Hawaii,” Russell said from her booth at the antique and gift mall. “I go by where I’ve visited, what I see, an image, a thought or a mood.”

One painting of a mountain in Washington State came about after a trip to that area in which she accidentally left her video camera behind. She was able to recover the camera and soon was painting what she saw.

Russell even found a way to create a hidden image in one of her colorful paintings. Snow capped trees and starry night feature a silhouette of a kissing couple.

She is currently working on a country-side scene complete with an old barn, broken down windmill and tons of flowers, such as bluebonnets and Indian paint, in bloom.

She said she finds that the best time to paint comes when she’s felling the best.

“When God is in my heart and I feel good about what’s going on, that’s the best time to paint,” she said.

Dollye Roberts, owner of the Holland House discovered Russell while browsing at a flea market in Vidor. She was so impressed by Russell’s work she asked the artist to come by Holland House and if Russell was interested in the move, would make wall space for the artist to display her work. Russell agreed and the rest is history.

“She (Russell) has not had an art lesson ever,” Roberts said. “And Nederland doesn’t have anything like this. It’s all God’s work, and by all means I want her to stay.”

Holland House, located at 1205 Boston Ave., in Nederland, is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

mmeaux@panews.com