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Milton woman paints 'small presents' for loved ones, church group

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Photo by Dan Lassiter

Estella Fena holds the two cards she created that will be available at the Milton United Methodist annual cookie walk. She has painted Christmas cards for 33 years.

MILTON — Each year as summer draws to a close, Estella Fena’s thoughts turn to Christmas cards.

After all, you have to start thinking about cards early when you’re painting them yourself.

For more than 30 years, Fena has designed her own Christmas cards to send to family and friends, creating what she calls a “small present” combined with a season’s greeting.

This year, copies of two of her designs will be available to the public as part of a church fundraiser.

Until five years ago, the Milton woman hand-painted every card she sent.

At first, it wasn’t too hard, she said. She did a simple design such as candles or a Christmas tree. But she and her husband, Lyman, noticed her designs grew more sophisticated every year.

Soon, she was painting elaborate country Christmas scenes—children playing in the snow, a rustic old barn, a rural church under the moonlight—and spending her whole holiday season making cards and helping Lyman with the Christmas tree business they used to run. It took her about five hours to make each card, she said.

“I’m getting smarter,” she said with a chuckle. “I don’t hand-paint them anymore.”

Nowadays, Fena creates an original painting and takes it to a professional printer to make cards. She finds ideas everywhere—from the barn down the street to an old photograph of her mother as a child.

Each year, she chooses a Bible verse or poem to go inside.

Fena’s face lights up as she talks about her art—she works in acrylics, silk screens and graphite—but she’s humble about it, too.

In fact, Fena only agreed to let her church, Milton United Methodist, sell her cards because the proceeds will go to mission work, said Marilyn Eyster of United Methodist Women.

The women’s organization will sell two of Fena’s card designs at its annual cookie walk Saturday. It also will sell note cards with a drawing Fena did of the church.

Eyster got the idea after visiting Fena’s home and seeing the paintings and drawings covering the walls, she said.

“She invited me into her home one time and showed me all her artwork and told about making her cards all these years,” Eyster said. “She’s such a neat person, so creative.”

Fena’s fellow artists rave about her work, too.

“She should be famous,” said Idamae Knutson, Janesville, who met Fena about 10 years ago when Fena took an art class from her.

Susan Schultz, Janesville, took art classes with Fena for years. She said she collects Fena’s cards in a framed collage in her bedroom.

Schultz loves the detail in Fena’s paintings, she said.

“She does beautiful work,” she said.

Fena loves to hear how her art has touched people. She recalled a great-aunt who was moving into a nursing home and could bring only one box with her. The woman filled the box with Fena’s Christmas cards.

“I was very honored because of her whole life, that was what she kept, was my cards,” she said.

IF YOU GO

What: United Methodist Women Cookie Walk

When: 8 a.m. Saturday until the cookies are gone

Where: Milton United Methodist Church, 241 Northside Drive.

More info: Cookies are $7 per pound. Christmas cards designed by Estella Fena will be available for $1.50 each, and note cards with Fena’s drawing of the church will be available for $1 each. The event will raise money for missionary work.