Judy Nail: HR Director, Painter Looks For Beauty

Judy Nail says the goal of an outdoor painter is to “capture the light on canvas and make your subject sing.”

The founder of Painting with Friends, who also is human resources director at Staplcotn, says that even when driving to and from work, she is taking mental snapshots of things that might make good subjects for paintings.

“I think all artists do that,” she said. “We’re always just seeing the moment of ‘Ah!’ — of beauty.”

She added, “And sometimes ugly. Sometimes what we paint is not beautiful. But I try to paint the pretty things.”

Nail, 58, was born in Philipp and attended the Tallahatchie County schools. Growing up, she wanted to be a graphic designer.

“That meant a very different thing from what graphic design is now, because now it’s all computer,” she said. “Back then, it was very much a tactile thing.”

Her father, Albert Brower, had painted with oils before but couldn’t  devote much time to art because of his work as a contractor. 

“I knew he was talented, and I had seen some of the things he did when he was younger,” she recalled, “but he never pursued that in my lifetime.”

She said her mother, Beatrice, “couldn’t draw a stick man” but bought paints for her, and both parents encouraged her. She began painting with oils around the age of 13,  taking private lessons for a few years and then working on her own from there. 

Like many art enthusiasts, she enjoyed watching Bob Ross on his TV show, “The Joy of Painting,” and over the years she has been influenced by other artists including Kathie Odom, Kevin Macpherson and Jim Wodark.

After turning her focus to a business career and putting her art activities aside for many years, she became interested in painting again, working with acrylics. In 2013, she started Painting With Friends, which holds painting parties in a variety of locations.

She said she has met many wonderful creative people through these gatherings.

“I’m just very happy with the way that has turned out and the service that it’s been able to be to the community,” she said, “because there weren’t that many things, many places to go, here to have parties and get-togethers.”

Nail first worked at Trustmark Bank for a time while still attending Delta State University before joining Staplcotn as a payroll administrator at the age of 23. She completed her degree taking classes at night and on weekends.

She added interviewing, training, recruiting and other tasks to her duties after being promoted to human resources director, but she said the transition was smooth because the department has a small staff. She also has been fortunate to work under Bob Dilatush, Gene Stansel and Russell Robertson, all “fabulous men of integrity,” she said.

Human resources management is a multifaceted field that requires keeping up with changes in legislation and the regulations in a number of states. But she said Staplcotn is a great place to work. 

“There are no words to describe what a wonderful, exciting, caring company this is,” she said.

She said she has always had “a pretty good brain for technology” and gets to use it overseeing Staplcotn’s website and social media in addition to performing similar duties for human resources professionals’ organizations. She is a former president of the Delta Human Resource Management Association and former director of the Mississippi Society for Human Resource Management.

Nail said she also stays “as busy as I want to be” with Painting With Friends.

The organization holds parties of at least 10 people for a variety of occasions, including birthdays, graduations, bachelorette parties and baby showers. Some are held at Painting With Friends’ central location on Howard Street; some are at churches or other locations.

“You either paint a canvas, or you paint door hangers,” Nail said. “And door hangers are by far the most popular.”

The parties have attracted people from all over Greenwood and surrounding towns as well as some tourists. The participants paint only in acrylics now, but Nail said she would like to add oils at some point.

She does some painting in her studio but mostly does travel painting in group settings. She often goes to workshops around Mississippi and other places including Georgia, Tennessee and New Mexico, where she can relearn skills and learn new ones. 

Next month, she plans to attend a convention in Denver, in which she will be painting around the Rocky Mountains.

“That has really given me a whole new lease on life, a different thing to look forward to,” she said.

Nail’s husband, Glenn, works in Staplcotn’s legal department. She has one sister, Lea Hammons of Ruleville, and a brother, Randall Brower of Alaska.

She has served on a number of Greenwood-Leflore County Chamber of  Commerce committees since the early 1990s, in addition to attending many functions as a chamber Ambassador. 

She also has been active in Greenwood Little Theatre and has served her church, First United Methodist, in a number of capacities, including webmaster and social media coordinator. 

As she thinks about retirement, she plans to continue painting and learning about that craft. “When I leave Staplcotn — I’ve been here so long — I want to really be excited about what’s to come with my art,” she said.

- Contact David Monroe at 662-581-7236 or dmonroe@gwcommonwealth.com.