Novella Duke is an award winning artist, born and raised in Nashville, TN. When she was six weeks old she was diagnosed with scoliosis, at age 8 doctors found a cancerous tumor inside her spinal cord and was not expected to live past the age of 12. Her love of all things tropical lead her to Ft. Myers FL, where later in 2000, she discovered that she had the ability to paint. About six months after that a greeting card company in Ft. Lauderdale contacted Novella about publishing her work, to date 7 are greeting cards. She also has had the honor of painting one of the famous telephone poles on Pine Island, in Southwest Florida. (The pole survived Hurricane Charley in August 2004.) Her work has been exhibited in several Florida art galleries. While most of her work is privately owned and displayed, her work may also be viewed at Vanderbilt Stallworth Rehabilitation Hospital in the Medical Directors suite, and also at Vanderbilt’s undergraduste student center offices.
Now almost 40, Novella supports many different children’s charities through her artwork as well as donating many hours of her time. She says it’s her way to give back to the community by using God’s gift to help others in need. Although she uses a walker for short distances and a wheelchair for long distances, she never lets her disability slow her down. She’ll be the first to tell you, southern accent still fully intact, “Cain’t never could do nothin’, but try did! If it can be dreamed, it can be achieved!”
