Arlene Frankenfield is a 90-year-old resident at Sacred Heart Senior Living by the Creek, Northampton, and she is as busy as she is talented. Not only does she participate in a regular schedule of activities at Sacred Heart, but she devotes time each day to her real passion - art.

Frankenfield is an artist. She can look at a picture of something and recreate it as a painting.

She wasn’t always an artist - or rather, she didn’t realize she could draw and paint until she was 40 years old. Before then, she was busy raising three sons and helping her husband in the family paint store, Dave’s Paint Center.

One day, she was helping one of her sons finish an art project he was reportedly not particularly engaged in, and she realized she really enjoyed painting. Not long after, she enrolled in Parkland’s adult education program to study art, specifically painting and drawing.

Frankenfield credits her teacher and mentor, Bob Beitler, for fine-tuning her talent.

One of Frankenfield’s paintings has traveled across the United States. “The Pigs” was first presented to the public at an art show sponsored by the Parkland Art League. A woman viewing the painting purchased it to give to her mother, who was living in Iowa and raising pigs.

The painting was later sold to a gift shop in Montana, where another person purchased it. Because Frankenfield’s contact information was on the back of the painting, the last known owner of the painting contacted her and relayed this story.

Over the years, many of Frankenfield’s paintings have been displayed at art shows in the Lehigh Valley. Frankenfield continued to paint after arriving at Sacred Heart six years ago and was nonstop throughout the pandemic.

Aided by her friend and fellow resident Mary Rothrock, who is also 90 years old, Frankenfield has been painting rocks and stones. Rothrock and her niece collect stones, rocks and pieces of slate for Frankenfield to paint. A display of more than 30 rocks can be seen along the walkway at Sacred Heart. Inspired by nature, there are many varieties of birds and animals painted on the stones.

The rocks Frankenfield paints are detailed and vibrant. She said it takes about two hours to paint each one. Her artistic inspiration comes from magazines, photos and books. The rocks are painted with acrylic paints, and when finished, a spray varnish is applied to preserve the art.

Frankenfield loves to paint and acknowledges this is truly her passion. A pile of rocks, magazines and paints next to her suggests she has much work ahead of her.