Each of the beautiful cards Barbara Prowell-Jones creates is hand-made, and one of a kind.
Contact Barbara Prowell-Jones to order her unique, hand-crafted cards.
By Lana Pierce
No question, Barbara Prowell-Jones lived a fascinating life. A Langston High School graduate, she left Arkansas shortly after graduation, living in Atlanta, Maryland, and San Anselmo, California. Now retired, she’s returned to Hot Springs to enjoy the slower pace of her childhood home.
With not one art class to her name, her self-taught art for making greeting cards comes from a strong belief in God and, perhaps, from her mother, whose eye for gardening was, in itself, an art. She created her first few cards as a favor to a sorority sister in Atlanta who needed invitations for an upcoming party. And the requests never stopped.
“I thought at one time that I would enjoy art classes,” but classically-trained artists and others discouraged that course. With such an inherent talent, they feared she might be painted into a box, so to speak.
Her cards range from vibrant and flourishing to muted and calm. No two cards are the same: each card is made by request, for a specific occasion. Each card is blank inside, leaving the requester room to personalize the message. She describes it as a “niche market,” where one can “express thoughts artfully.”
Her business, for now, is small. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself, or of the orders.” It belies the sentiment she draws into every card. So far, her cards can be found in the St. Vincent Hospital gift shop and the Culinary District, but merchants downtown are beginning to line up to carry her stock.
Asked where she would ultimately like to see her cards offered, she cites museums, gift shops, niche businesses, and word of mouth. Unlike every other business today, Barbara invites you to call her at 501-282-5960. No online shopping, no IG or FB, just an artist who connects on a personal level to bring the buyer a personal message written small.
Lana Pierce is a 19-year veteran of the NLRFD who lives in Hot Springs and owns RetroFit.
