Soul of 78: Karla Langley
Artist
Words special to 78 Magazine | Image by Ryan McGill
For Karla Langley, a simple television show sparked a lifelong passion for art.
As a young woman living in Cordova, Alabama, Karla found herself captivated one day while watching Alabama Public Television. A woman painting a mallard duck brought the canvas to life with each brushstroke. In that moment, she knew she had to try it for herself.
"I remembered we had a family friend who painted, so I called her up and asked if she could give me art lessons," Karla says.
Karla learned acrylic painting for just four dollars an hour, diving into each lesson with enthusiasm. But after a year, her teacher had to stop offering lessons. Not ready to give up, Karla sought out more help.
"There was this lady in Jasper named Sue Hood. She gave oil painting lessons and used to do the arts and crafts shows at the Jasper Mall," Karla recalls. "I called her up, and she had some space, so I started taking oil lessons from her for about four or five years."
As Karla's skills grew, so did her responsibilities.
Eventually, she and her husband started a family, and her focus shifted to caring for their four young children. With finances tight, Karla made the difficult decision to pack up her art supplies. However, her creativity found an outlet as she searched for ways to support her family.
“Back then, faux painting was all the rage on HGTV," she explains. "I'd done bag painting, marbling walls, and refinishing furniture, so I got some business cards printed, left them at local hardware stores, and did those kinds of art projects for several years."
Years later, in 2011, Karla's passion reignited. With her children now older, she unpacked her supplies, eager to paint again. At first, she followed others’ instructions, practicing until she gained confidence in her own technique, Still, she knew there was more to learn.
Karla found what she was looking for in watercolor lessons taught by Susan Ripp in Arley, Alabama.
"I went up there, and it was the scariest thing I ever did because it's as different from oils and acrylics as you can get," Karla shares. "But I kept with it and fell in love with it, and I've been taking lessons from her for 10 years."
Before she began teaching her own classes, Karla had already planted seeds of her current work by leading a small group at her church entitled The Art of Encouragement. In those sessions, participants painted with watercolors while sharing and supporting one another. That experience deepened her love for watercolor and inspired her to begin teaching classes of her own.
Today, Karla shares her love of art with others. In her second year of teaching painting classes from her pool house in the Corner community, she now instructs fifteen students in both morning and evening sessions. Surrounded by creativity and the joy of helping others discover their artistic voice, Karla feels deeply fulfilled.
She smiles as she reflects on her journey, saying, "I feel this is the purpose God gave me, and I love every second of it." 78