Lampasan selected as Artist of Year
By LISA CARNLEY Staff Writer

PHOTO BY BILL McDONALD Cassandra Langdon has been named Artist of the Year for the Texas Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, Mrs. Langdon will be recognized at upcoming ceremonies. She created the design below and submitted it for recognition.

When she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2002, Cassandra Langdon's motivation to paint disappeared.

The 2007 Artist of the Year for the Texas Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities, was told she had primarily progressive MS, and that no treatment was available.

Mrs. Langdon saw a bleak future because MS affects the muscles, and sufferers can lose the ability to use their limbs.

"I used to run five miles every day, but it got to the point where my left leg was dragging. I wasn't sure what was in my future," she said.

"This type of MS is slow-growing, but there is no remission. When you lose abilities, they generally don't come back."

Mrs. Langdon's future was uncertain until she visited match.com, an Internet dating site that pairs couples who have similar interests.

After several other dates, she finally met Steven Langdon -- an artist and author -- and the pair just clicked. They were married Valentine's Day of 2005.

The couple moved to Lampasas and purchased the historic Matt and Rebecca Smith home built in 1902. It earned Texas Historic Landmark status in 2006 with help from Lampasas County Historical Commission President Jeff Jackson.

"We fell in love with Lampasas," said Mrs. Langdon. The couple sought to be nearer her husband's work at Fort Hood when they chose the Hill Country. "We love the size of the town and the friendliness of its people."

Lampasas has afforded the Langdons a multitude of opportunities to be together and also has encouraged Mrs. Langdon to resume her art. Together, they opened a business where they sell their prints and notecards.

An artist with no formal training, Mrs. Langdon began painting in 1989. In 1991, her first works were commissioned: a rendition of the renowned King Ranch in South Texas, and a poster of the Christmas lights for the Kingsville Festival of Lights.

Her work is mainly folk art that stems from the influence of Santa Fe, N.M., where she fell in love with the architecture and colors of the area. "I started drawing and painting," she said. "I kept taking them to a gallery in Brenham, and they were buying them. I felt very successful."

Mrs. Langdon recently participated in a 96-week medical study where she received random intravenous infusions of Rituximab, a drug approved for those with cancer and rheumatoid arthritis.

"It's not approved yet for MS patients," said her husband. "We're hoping it will be soon, though."

Mrs. Langdon seemed to find some relief from the trial medicine. "Before I was taking the medication, I didn't have reflexes in my left leg," she said. "I do now."

Rituximab also has made it possible for Mrs. Langdon to do some of what she enjoyed before her illness.

The couple recently completed a 14-mile hike at Big Bend National Park. Luckily, her husband said, walking in dry heat -- as it was during their hike -- makes it easier on his wife's limbs. "When it's humid, it's much worse," he added.

The Langdons attempt to take a walk each night. "I believe that's a result of my taking the medicine," she said.

Overall, Mrs. Langdon said she feels stronger, but as with any progressive illness, one never knows when it will strike.

Through it all, the artist has remained upbeat and is able to turn out work that she and her husband are marketing through their MaFe Art Productions Line. When she first started painting, people likened Mrs. Langdon's work to that of Grandma Moses -- thus, "Ma," and the "Fe" comes from her enchantment with Santa Fe, she said.

The artwork is for sale in the Bob Bullock Museum, in Big Bend and in galleries in Houston, Waxahachie, Tyler, Fort Worth, Fredericksburg and Wyoming.

Mrs. Langdon's selection as Artist of the Year stems from the Governor's Committee on People with Disabilities, which each year produces a poster celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month in October. The poster features artwork by a Texan with a disability.

The committee raises funds to reproduce the posters, and past winners have their work hanging in businesses, government offices, schools and colleges. Those with various disabilities including blindness, cancer, arthritis and paralysis are included.

Mrs. Langdon's poster, "First Day of Spring," offers bright colors and depicts the liveliness of the first day of spring in Texas. It features various architecture, animals and plant life indigenous to the state.

Her poster, along with the original artwork, will hang in the governor's office at the Capitol in Austin alongside those of past winners.

Mrs. Langdon recently signed 50 of her posters, and those -- which also feature Gov. Rick Perry's signature -- will be presented to select recipients throughout the state.

She will be recognized at two ceremonies. The first is set Oct. 17 at the Bell County Expo Center, where her family will come in for the Artist of the Year presentation.

A second recognition ceremony will be Oct. 25 in El Paso.

The Langdons have five children and two grandchildren, with another on the way. Their love of art enhances their travels as they participate in art shows and sales all over the state.

"I feel very honored to have my artwork selected for this award," Mrs. Langdon said. "I really do enjoy painting."

Because the committee continues to receive requests for copies of posters from the annual campaign, they can be ordered at no charge by sending an e-mail to ccounts@governor.state.tx.us .