Artist hears reports of her death in church

ATLANTA — Alabama artist Myrtice West says she’s slowing down a little and her eyesight’s not quite what it used to be.

But she’s certain she’s not dead — despite recent reports to the contrary.

“You tell ‘em I’m alive down here in Centre, Alabama, and still have a heart and am still painting,” the 84-year-old artist said from her home Tuesday evening.

A painting by West is featured prominently in “Amazing Grace: Self-Taught Artists from the Mullis Collection,” an exhibition at the Georgia Museum of Art.

The catalog for the show incorrectly lists West as having died in 2005, a detail that was picked up in news accounts. She learned about the error on Sunday in church.

“They all looked at me funny,” she said. “Finally, one of them came up to me and whispered in my ear, ‘They put you in the newspaper, but they said you were dead.’ “

Paul Manoguerra, curator of the exhibit, said he’s not sure how the error happened — though West’s Web site mentions that her husband Wallace died in 2005.

“That’s the only thing I can imagine,” said Manoguerra.

Museum staff were updating information about West at the exhibit on Tuesday and planned to insert a note correcting the error in the show’s catalog.

West said she’s not upset about the error.

“I understand mistakes,” she said. “I’ve made plenty of mistakes in my 84 years.”