Minnie Evans (1892-1987) is an extraordinary American visionary artist. Born in Long Creek, North Carolina, her mother was only thirteen years old. At two months of age Minnie was brought to live with her maternal grandmother in Wilmington, North Carolina. According to family stories, Minnie was a solitary child who occupied much of her time drawing. From an early age, Minnie experienced almost nightly dreams and what she called "day visions" (dreams seen with her eyes open). The content of her dreams consisted of visitations by angels, spirits and God with whom she traveled and saw wonderous sights. Minnie experienced these "dreams" as real events. She was distracted and preoccupied by her sleeping and wakeful experiences. As she said, "The prophets carried me to the boneyard every night. I woke up there many times". Her religious family came to view her as an exceptional and gifted child. However, there were practical consequences for Minnie. Her lack of sleep and daytime distraction made school and learning difficult. This and the need to assist the family by working, ended her schooling after the sixth grade. By 1918, Minnie Evans was was working as a domestic at Pembrook Park, an elegant estate and home of Mr. and Mrs. Pembrook Jones. She continued to have her visionary experiences and in 1938 she created her first drawings. The drawings, now in the collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art, were inspired by a dream. According to Evans, "In a dream it was shown to me what I should do, of paintings". Significantly, this was also the year of her grandmother's death. She made two drawings that day which were stored away to be found many years later. Through the 1940's Minnie continued to draw and her individual themes and style began to take shape. Inspired by her dreams, the "eyes of God" were a consistent feature of her symmetrical and organic creations. She spoke of trying to re-create her visions as drawings. She continued to work at the Jones estate and in 1948 she became the gatekeeper at Airlie Gardens, an expansive garden estate which was now the home of Pembrook Jones' widow. This move would prove to be significant in Minnie Evans' life as an artist. Surrounded by the lush Eden of Airlie Gardens, Evans began to draw and paint in earnest. She hung her drawings and paintings in the gatehouse and sold them to visitors to the gardens for a few dollars. Minnie also used these opportunities to share her spiritual experiences with others. One such visitor to the garden was Nina Howell Starr, an art collector and arts patron. In 1962, she met Minnie Evans and would become instrumental in presenting her work to a national audience. In the 1960's several exhibitions of Evans' work were held in New York City. Motivated by her transcendent experiences, Minnie worked diligently to communicate to others through her art. She produced a considerable body of elaborate drawings and paintings depicting lush gardens and profuse flora through which peer the faces and eyes of her spiritual companions. This featured untitled drawing by Minnie Evans was created in 1947, the year before her move to Airlie Gardens. There she would literally flower into the mature artist whose elaborate, lush and visionary paintings communicate the full dimensions of her world. The drawing possesses many of Evans' signature stylistic characteristics such as multiple peering eyes, organic shapes and symmetry. It draws the viewer into her world and captures the mystery of spiritual experience.