Beech Tree News Network

Kelley Hammers opened the door to her childhood home one day back in January with a new purpose. Never again would it be a place to visit or retreat to memories of simpler times.
After the death of her parents, the old Hammers home became a place to get to work.
"I've heard people say that not until you lose your parents do you really grow up," she said. "I guess that's how I feel."
Since the death of local artist Joyce Porter Hammers on Dec. 28, Kelley has been organizing her parents' extensive art collection. Over four decades, Joyce and Floyd Hammers produced hundreds of paintings, drawings and artistic photographs. Everything that remained unsold at the time of Joyce's death was stored in their Eden Stretch home.

On April 11-12, Kelley will open the home one last time to show and sell many of her parents' prints as well as Joyce's original works. The family plans to move the artwork and other contents of the house into storage in May and eventually sell the house.
"I've uncovered stacks and stacks of drawings and paintings I never knew existed, some really beautiful work," said Kelley, who now lives in Bowling Green. "We know as a family we can only hold on to so much."

Joyce and Floyd were natives of Butler County and stayed active in community events and organizations. Floyd ran Floyd's Barber Shop in downtown Morgantown for 44 years in the now vacant storefront across from PBI Bank. He closed the shop in 2004 shortly after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

Together, Joyce and Floyd ran Hammers Art & Frame Shoppe out of their home from the early 1980s until 2011.
Their interest in art began simultaneously as a hobby in the early 1970s while Joyce worked as the secretary at Morgantown Elementary. After she was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1978, she and Floyd delved deeper into art. Her early works focused on family members, though she later moved into her most popular subjects of landscapes, flowers, portraits and historic landmarks.

She completed more than a dozen pen-and-ink drawings of local sites including the Butler County courthouse, the old Morgantown High School, Butler County High School and many of the one-room schools once known throughout Butler County.
Children were her favorite subjects, especially her own and those of her friends.
"She spent a lot of time on faces," said her granddaughter, Dana Felty Bynum. "She wanted to capture the sweetness and innocence in children's eyes."

Flowers were also one of her most popular subjects. Her close-up perspectives sometimes resembled the works of the renowned artist Georgia O'Keeffe.
Despite Joyce and Floyd's tandem beginnings in art, their styles quickly diverged.
Floyd was drawn to the darker, heavier media of acrylic and oil paints. Many of his subjects were solemn family scenes or introspective, middle-aged men.
"Papaw took up art at a time he was exploring faith, not just his but other faiths and philosophies," Dana said. "He'd get up at 5:30 a.m. every weekday and read philosophy and theology books at the kitchen table."

Two of Floyd's most popular works, the Clockmaker and the Kentucky Fiddler, were reproduced as prints. Both portray solitary, aging men intensely focused on their trade. Many of his paintings are on display at Smith Funeral Home, where they have hung since his death in 2011.
While Floyd stopped painting in the early 1980s, Joyce continued to build a broad range of work throughout her life. Her art has shown throughout the region and has hung in businesses, including the Medical Center in Bowling Green.

In 2014, the couple’s niece, Georgia Romans, began helping Joyce organize her work. Since Joyce's death, Georgia and Kelley have uncovered pieces the family had forgotten or never knew existed.
"I've come across tons of drawings of local people that Mom started in recent years and never completed," Kelley said. "I think her eyesight may have given her some trouble finishing them, but some are really good."

Kelley hopes to sell her parents' work to people who will keep their memory alive in Morgantown and beyond. Every piece of artwork is also being photographed and archived on the website hammersart.strikingly.com for the family to remember and share with the public.
Those who own a Hammers original work are also invited to share an image of it on the site.

By Dana Felty Bynum

Hammers Art Sale
When: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday, April 11;  11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday, April 12
Where: Joyce & Floyd Hammers house, 3212 Beaver Dam Road
Parking is also available across the street at the home of Chester West. Most prints are $20. Prices of original works vary. Most works are available to view at http://www.hammersart.strikingly.com.