Eilene Laymance, a resident at Life Care Center of Kirkland, is probably the most well-known resident artist among parent company Life Care Centers of America’s more than 200 buildings.
This year marks the eighth time Laymance has won the company’s Christmas card contest for the Northwest Division, which covers Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Utah. The winning card designs from each of Life Care’s divisions are printed and distributed to facilities and regional offices throughout the company.
During the years, Laymance has painted snowy mailboxes, Christmas tree ornaments, a classic Santa Claus, woodland creatures in Christmas settings, a snowman and even a tribute to the Christmas Boat Parade at Camp Pendleton. This year’s offering is a couple of festive hot cocoa mugs.
“I wanted to do something different, and I realized I hadn’t done a still life before,” Laymance said.
Laymance shared that she compiled the idea from several different images in catalogs.
“God helped me a lot too,” she added.
Laymance has loved art ever since she was a child coloring in a coloring book. She took a correspondence art course from Art Instructions, Inc., when she was 14, and went on to study art and English at Texas Christian University. She married a Marine, and they moved around the country frequently, giving Laymance plenty of material for her paintings and drawings.
“I like that by using artistic license, we can often make an improvement on nature,” Laymance said.
A resident at Life Care Center of Kirkland for 17 years, Laymance shares her artwork at the facility often, posting new drawings on hallway bulletin boards and having several watercolor paintings hanging on the walls.
“Eilene puts her heart and soul into every picture she paints or draws,” said Linda Svonavec, activity director. “We are blessed to have such a talented artist.”
For more information about Laymance or the Christmas cards, call (425) 823-2323.
Life Care Center of Kirkland, located at 10101 NE 120th St., is one of 16 nursing and rehab facilities in Washington managed or operated by Life Care Centers of America.
