- January 4, 2025
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Pamela Tingle has been creating art for over 50 years. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Artist Pamela Tingle with a group of gardeners of the Hammock Community Gardens. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Woodrow Lovell, a gardener and clergyman with the Daytona Beach Police Department, said he was touched by Pamela Tingle's story. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Pamela and Steve Tingle have been married for 18 years. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
Pamela Tingle wanted the mural to be vibrant and full of life. Photo by Jarleene Almenas
The Hammock Community Gardens have always been full of life, from the smallest of seedlings to the tallest of tomato vines.
And thanks to one local artist, the gardens at 601 Hammock Lane are now graced with a splash of color.
Pamela Tingle recently completed a nature-themed mural on an L-shaped block wall that was previously constructed by the community gardeners to grow flowers and other plants. Donating her time, Tingle worked on the mural for several months. She spent many hours sitting on the ground, listening to the birds, and chatting with the gardeners that came by to care for their plants. As a certified master gardener herself in the state of Kentucky, the project welded her two passions together.
"Sometimes producing a piece of art is like giving birth, because it's an extension of myself," said Tingle who has been creating art for over 50 years. "When I'm in my garden and when I'm creating, I have things I have to work through in my mind sometimes, or physically, and so I do that through my art."
Tingle was first approached by one of the gardeners, Arlene North, who takes regular walks in her neighborhood. She noticed one of the homes along her route had a wall recently been painted with a mural, and she thought it was beautiful. On another walk, North happened to spot Tingle in her yard and they began taking up conversations from time to time.
"I learned how talented she was, and artistic, so when we decided that we wanted to spiff up that area, I asked her if she would be willing to donate some of her time and she said yes," North said.
The gardeners agreed to provide funds for the art materials Tingle would need, and the deal was made. For Tingle though, she didn't see it so much as a donation of her time — because while she painted, she learned about gardening in Florida, which was one of the reasons she wanted to get involved with the garden.
"I'm swapping knowledge," Tingle said. "I'm getting paid in other ways. ... Knowledge is everything."
On Thursday, June 30, the gardeners presented Tingle with tokens of their appreciation: a card, and a $100 gift card to Lowe's. She grew emotional as she thanked the gardeners, because her life journey has not been the easiest.
A survivor of domestic violence, she spent time in about seven or eight shelters, and one night, she wrote down every place she'd stayed in since being left standing on the side of a road in Texas. She counted 65 places, and decided turn her life around. She put herself through college and studied art while raising her sons.
"I'm here because I was a broken piece of pottery one time and God fashioned me back together,"said Tingle to the gardeners. "So I'm here and I'm testimony that you can overcome anything."
Tingle has been married to her husband Steve for 18 years now. The two met in Kentucky, both having gone through divorces and left responsible for raising their children, who were the same after school care program. One day, Tingle showed up on his front step and they spent hours talking. She offered to cook him dinner the next time.
"I said,' How about better yet, you come over and I'll fix you dinner," Steve Tingle recalled.
"I was like, 'Woah! I've never had that before," Pam Tingle recalled.
Her husband jokes he hooked her with his fried chicken. She agrees.
Looking at the mural at the gardens, the nucleus around the moon symbolizes the cycles of life, Tingle said. Someone asked her about the heart in the corner of the mural, the one covered with vines of flowers.
"I guess it's representing that my heart is finally flourishing," she said. "... We should all live a vibrant life if we can."
