Fayette County native Nita Boyd McFarlin said she has always had an interest in being an artist. When she was a child, her family moved into the family home, which had previously been occupied by her uncle, Dr. William S. Boyd. He, too, had been an artist. They found a lot of his work there, so she felt early on that she wanted to do the same.

"I've had some lessons at the High Museum of Art," she said, "and the rest has come through a lot of trial and error."

This past year has been spent painting historical scenes of the local area as they might have appeared during The War Between The States, resulting in 11 finished pieces.

The General LaFayette McLaws Camp #79, Sons of the Confederate Veterans, recently sponsored an exhibit of her works.

"We felt very privileged that she shared these treasures with us," said camp commander Kermit White. "Mrs. McFarlin has done a lot of research before starting on each one and her personal feeling that went into them is quite evident."

Her initial research began when she purchased a copy of the "History of Fayette County," published in 1977 by the Fayette County Historical Society. "I thought a lot about the stories told in the book about Fayette County's part in the War Between The States," she said. "After receiving inspiration from the book and local historians, I began to paint what I felt, depicting scenes as accurately as I could."

McFarlin has also written and illustrated a children's book, "Fruitcake Throws His Bow Tie Away and Visits Rural Georgia."

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