WAYNE, Maine — A Monroe woman is continuing to overcome incredible odds, one brush stroke at a time.
Pamela Hedden retrained the left side of her body so she could draw and paint following a massive stroke. Now the public is taking notice of Hedden, who doesn't consider herself disabled but "differently abled."
Inside the historic Williams house in the heart of Wayne, customers are flocking to see paintings depicting Maine's essence.
More than 100 of her original paintings are for sale, from lighthouses to lobster shacks and historic downtowns.
Hedden explains how she uses watercolors to layer the details of Stonington's working waterfront.
"I kind of did the buildings and then the docks and then the rocks," Hedden explained.
"Her use of color is just astounding to me. I just flipped through her entire portfolio, and it was just a delight, " customer Kelly Kittel exclaimed.
'You can see the work in this room. It's just incredible. Really, it gives you chills," Chris Pitcher, who is Hedden's cousin, added.
Customers are even more amazed when they learn the story behind the landscapes.
"I just don't put any limitations on me," Hedden said.
Hedden, who is a mother and grandmother, was a highly successful architect before suffering a massive stroke at the age of 36.
In February of last year, she showed us how she retrained her left side to do what the right side did all her life, bringing her drawings to life with color with the working side of her left eye.
Holding her first art show in the town where she summered all her life is a dream come true. Besides selling dozens of paintings, she picked up new commissions to paint people's homes.
"I love that people get a little taste of my art, and they get a memory that they absolutely love," Hedden explained, including a painting Hedden did of Wayne's general store, which was founded by the great-, great-uncle of Kittel, who is more than inspired by Hedden's talent and determination.
"This whole show is a tribute to that," Kittel exclaimed.
As for Hedden, her advice is pretty simple.
"You'd be amazed at what you can do when you try," she added.
Words to live by for someone who is constantly striving to improve the landscape of her life.
For recovery resources for patients, go here.