Art With Purpose

Courage II-launched!

2015-10-21T07:57:00.000-07:00

Isn't it amazing to watch a single "yes" turn into 4 years of adventure?!

The second Courage exhibit was launched in May of this year with a small 24 piece exhibit at the Yadkin Cultural Center in Yadkinville, NC and then moved to the Center for Creative leadership where most the 67 piece exhibit is on display. When the exhibit opened, we again broke all attendance records for a show in this space! It has been well received and several of the pieces have already sold at this location. The exhibit will be removed in November and we will then start on our next adventure!

The exhibit will be displayed in the month of December at the new Gallery 320 in
Greensboro, NC. The new location, 421 W. Smith Street, will open its doors with this exhibit on December 11th with refreshments, music and a invitation to the community to come in and enjoy excellence for the evening!

I could not bear to see the exhibit stored for the month of December, and since this whole adventure started by showing a few pieces of art at a local hospital in December of 2011, it is only right that this expanded expression of art be on display!

____________________________________________________________________________________

Please check us out on facebook to know what we are doing, where the exhibit is showing and how you can be a part of the adventure!
I hope you will join the blog and help us get the word out!

A New Perspective

2015-10-20T09:48:00.000-07:00

Its been a long time...life runs fast and runs away with the childlike wonder of the every day miracles....and I have to grab my world by the throat and demand stillness to come back into my day....Isn't that funny and disturbing at the same time? knowing that I have to make a demand on my soul to pay attention to the stillness?!

Life gets so cluttered with the lies of the day: what has to be taken care of, what is most important, and what is expected..... Life demands that we keep moving forward and pick up the pieces that seem to be laying all over the floor of daily life and no one seems to see them or care about picking them up and so the "shoulds" of life, say "here, grab this and keep moving forward" .....

This is one of the biggest stumbling blocks of the day...those of us that seem to want it all "right" , step over into something that is not ours at all and we become carriers of strife, resentment and weariness. All of the negative weight begins to pull us down into the ocean of fear and bitterness and we go down for the count. We have fallen into the trap that was set. All is lost. Or is it??????

Life is a school, a daily school, that is filled with obvious lessons and the not so obvious-deep life changing lessons- that can surface in the stillness and save us from the destruction of the ocean we have fallen in to.

The beautiful stillness, the child like wonder of just being, that can only be found when we choose it, is the reset button of life! Perspective!! Perspective is changed in stillness!!!

When I look at the picture above, it reminds me that perspective is everything! Why look at the world straight on..-the obvious_..like the everyday masses see it......but laying on your back, looking up at the situation can give you a completely new perspective!

I love to turn on my music and just lay down on the couch, or even better, the floor and still my mind. When I am in the habit of stillness, my heart and mind can align with the quiet of my creator and bring me into a new perspective quickly.....when I have been running hard and listening to life, the ability to find stillness is so much harder...........BUT! it is the Father's desire to meet us and give us the right perspective so it is worth it!

What do you see? When i look at the pictures, the first thing I see is vunerability! Having to place myself in a position that takes a lot of trust!
And Welcome the view that is not my norm!

Welcome a perspective that is only experienced in stillness, venerability, and teachability!
I can't learn from this perspective if I hold on to my own views!

I am needing a new perspective today, a new understanding of life and love, what is important to my Heavenly Father and what He wants me to see today......I am sure it has more love and more compassion that I am currently carrying around and lots of rhythm and joy with creation......It sounds much more pleasant than what life wants me to carry..................I think the Father's perspective is worth the effort today............Here I come Father....give me your view on today...........

2012-11-01T04:58:00.000-07:00

We are heading into the final weeks of the "How do you paint Courage?" exhibit , and it has been such an amazing ride. It is a bit sad to see the show taken down, but there is also an excitement about what is to come. Every venue has asked the exhibit to return and I know that we can touch so many people by doing this again.

I am praying, listening, asking what comes next....and I am ready to sit down with a big cup of appreciation and hear the thoughts of my friends that walked this journey with me....where do
we go? and what does it look like? It is good to think out of the box and be willing to do something
different, out of the ordinary, innovative........time to clear the head and heart and ask the Father what He has in mind.....I know its going to be great!

Open my Eyes Father to see the new things that are on your heart for me....give revelation of how to paint, create and pour your heart out on a canvas ....and then rest in each stroke and heal the ones that turn aside and stop to see..

The article in the News and Record

2012-08-23T17:46:00.002-07:00

What a wonderful article! I am so thankful to Amy for spending her afternoon with me and hearing the story....What a beautiful job she has done on writing the story!

Painting courage

"Warrior," by Vicki Johnson is on view through Nov. 29 as part of the exhibition "How do you paint courage?" at The Center for Creative Leadership. Credit: Jerry Wolford/News & Record

Want to go?

What: “How Do You Paint Courage?” art exhibition opening reception
When: Opening reception 5 to 7 p.m. Aug. 31. Exhibit is on view through Nov. 29 and can be seen by appointment
Where: Center for Creative Leadership, One Leadership Place, Greensboro
Admission: Free
Info: artwpurpose.blogspot.com
Etc.: Call Laura Gibson at 510-0975 to schedule an appointment to see the exhibit.

(updated 9:13 am)

By Amy Joyner

GREENSBORO — The phone call came, as so many life-changing ones do, on an ordinary day.

Kathy Brusnighan answered. The woman on the other end was calling from Moses Cone Hospital.

“I’m scared to death,” the woman told Brusnighan. “But I’m standing here in front of your piece, and I know I’m going to be all right.”

The caller was a patient, awaiting a diagnostic procedure that could change the course of her life. But in those few moments between before and after, she had seen Brusnighan’s artwork in a hospital hallway and felt compelled to call the artist.

When Brusnighan agreed to exhibit a few of her paintings at Moses Cone, in the corridor between X-ray and procedure, she hoped she might be able to uplift some patients and their families during uncertain and painful times.

She purposefully chose colorful abstracts — happy, hopeful, beautiful.

What she didn’t expect was the phone call she got that day and the ones that followed.

“Those phone calls brought me to the realization that I did not want to just be a good artist,” Brusnighan said, “but I wanted to be an artist with purpose that could benefit my community and the people around me.”

• • •

The exhibit at Moses Cone inspired Brusnighan to organize a traveling show that has provided encouragement to thousands who have seen it.

Advertisement | Advertise with Us

What she wanted to do was to replicate the experience of the Moses Cone exhibition on a larger scale — to touch more lives but also to share the feeling of purposefulness with more artists.

“I do believe the more we give away, the more we’re given,” she said.

As she started to share her experience at Moses Cone with artist friends and gallery owners, a question emerged: “How do you paint courage?”

In September 2011, Brusnighan invited a group of artists to answer that question: If someone were to stand in front of your artwork, someone needing courage, hope and peace, what would you create that would inspire and encourage them?

Sixteen artists responded, creating 60 representations of courage.

Those works have been traveling the state to inspire people in hospitals, cancer centers, art galleries and cultural centers.

The show concludes in Greensboro at the Center for Creative Leadership, where it will be on view through Nov. 29.

This is the first time all the works have been on display in one venue, and many will be seen for the first time.

The exhibit combines abstracts and realism, portraits and landscapes, and watercolors, oils and mixed-media pieces. It includes moments of everyday courage that many people will face in a lifetime and courage in the face of challenges.

“I think it’s a reminder that we each face courage every day,” said Laura Gibson, who is the art coordinator for the Center for Creative Leadership. “It’s the life moments of courage, and it’s the life and death moments of courage.”

• • •

The works reflect different definitions of courage — courage through illness, courage through adversity, courage at different life stages and the courage of every day.

Most of the artists chose to depict courage in illness in their works.

Greensboro portrait artist Tom Edgerton painted a Winston-Salem woman who was going through breast cancer treatment and had lost all of her hair. He titled it “From Darkness to Light.”

In the portrait, she is wearing a hospital bracelet and is dressed in a rich, red silk kimono, her posture perfect and her eyes bright with possibility. She looks beautiful, regal and strong.

“When somebody is going through something that devastating, they become a hospital gown and a wristband,” Brusnighan said. But Edgerton’s portrait reminds that cancer patients are so much more than their disease. Both the subject and Edgerton wanted to communicate that a woman can maintain her dignity, beauty and courage through the ravages of cancer and its treatment.

“As an artist, I wanted to explore the complexity of the real emotion involved and see if I could capture some of that.” said Edgerton, who earlier this summer won an Award of Excellence in the Portrait Society of America’s International Portrait Competition for the work.

“Last I communicated with her, she was putting it behind her and had recovered and had felt a lot better,” Edgerton said. “I’m just grateful that she chose to work with me.”

The three works painted by artist Jean Smith of Winston-Salem also speak to cancer.

One of her works, “Cathy’s Story,” features a young mother and her two children cuddling after bath time.

Smith discovered Cathy through a blog, where the young woman shared her ongoing journey with breast cancer. She had her first mastectomy at 26 and thought she would never realize her dream of having children, but she did, only to discover the cancer had recurred.

“She was really hopeful, and she seemed to be positive and wanting to share her story because she wanted other ladies to get serious about getting checked,” Smith said.

When Smith reached out to Cathy, who lives in South Africa, and asked if she could paint her portrait, the young mother agreed and sent several photos with her children.

The portrait has moved at least one person to tears.

“This is what I think art should be,” Smith said. “It should draw emotion and do some healing, and to make a difference.”

• • •

If there was one thing Brusnighan hopes to accomplish with her art, it is to make a difference.

With “Courage,” she sought to uplift and to encourage, and challenged the others artists to create works of hopefulness and grace.

“I want something that lasts for an eternity,” said Brusnighan, who often explores and expresses her spirituality through her artwork. She believes that if she can touch someone or show a glimpse of God through her art, she has achieved that goal.

“I think art is very healing,” she said. “I think it’s part of capturing the beauty of the moment.”

Brusnighan is a self-taught artist, who describes herself as both a butterfly and a pied piper. Both descriptions reflect her self-awareness. She does have the personality of a butterfly, fluttering from one thing to another. She is always busy, always in motion, always working out a new idea, always talking things through.

“Courage” was the first time she had created and curated a show of this sort, and she found it challenged her as a teacher and coach to work with other artists in this way.

“I’ve really stretched them,” she said. “I had to learn that what came easy for me did not come easy for others in my sphere.”

For some artists, participating in the show also helped them realize their own courageous moments in life. Such was the case for artist Jean Smith, who had to be a single mother raising four kids. Her painting, “Winter Haircut,” a self-portrait of Smith giving her son a haircut, captures that time of her life.

At the time, Smith didn’t think of herself as courageous.

“I thought I’ve got to do this because I have kids and they need me and they need stability in their life,” she said. “Sometimes you’re doing stuff that you thought you never could do.”

That is courage.

Contact Amy Joyner at amyjoyn@bellsouth.net

The Last Venue

2012-08-10T13:19:00.000-07:00

Hi All!

It seems like forever since I have been able to post, but so much is happening! We have opened the new Gallery 320 at CenterCityChurch and that was such a success. The Courage exhibit has been moved to the final venue which is the Center for Creative Leadership here in Greensboro.
As many of you know, the final exhibit has additional pieces added and will total 57 beautiful pieces of art. I have been there twice and the show is stunning. Such an amazing group of artists and the thread that runs thru the entire show is obvious.

I am hoping that many will come and see this beautiful exhibit before it comes down in November. The opening is Aug. 31st from 5-7pm and after that it will be seen by appointment.
Now, do we plan for a new show? every venue has asked us to do this again....what do you think?

Amazing Honor!

2012-05-10T17:57:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Tom Edgerton!

Tom, a part of the "How do you paint Courage?" exhibit has been awarded
Portrait Society of America's
14th Annual

International Portrait Competition

Exhibit May 24 27, 2012 ♦ Philadelphia, PA

Click here for information on The Art of the Portrait Conference

CONGRATULATIONS YOUR WORK WAS AWARDED A
CERTIFICATE EXCELLENCE
IN THE 14th ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL PORTRAIT COMPETITION

Tom's painting is on display at the Yadkin Cultural Center now through July 7th.
It is a beautiful piece and we would love for you to see it!

Yadkin Cultural Center

2012-05-10T17:52:00.002-07:00

Thanks to an amazing group of faithful friends, my life and my deadlines are always met.
Heading into this new venue, new cards had to be made, lots of art had to be delivered...
along with 11 new pieces added to the show. Phyllis Sharpe, Vicki Johnson, Jean Smith
and Karen Fridy all stepped up and made the trip doable......Amos Westmoreland was a
champ and showed up also with new works that just steal your heart...so all in all it was a great
day! Wow, what would art be without friends to share it with!

Yadkin Cultural Center is so beautiful and full of light! The exhibit was beautifully hung and
ready for the city. The food and wine flowed and the people came ...and stayed.....they walked
and read the statements...some cried...it was our first time to really be in the midst of reactions..
and it was awesome.

www.yadkinarts.org

To be able to watch and talk with people as they absorbed the work made it all worthwhile.
Watching the artists talking about the experience was touching. I think the artists that have
been able to really follow the show and be in the middle of it have really drawn some wonderful
revelations from the experience. As artists, that is a wonderful growing tool and I look forward to seeing what comes of this.

I am looking forward to seeing the exhibit, once and for all, complete...something that we have not
experienced yet, but will see in August when the exhibit opens in Greensboro. That too, will be a night that I look forward to drinking in.

But for now, I am drinking in friendship, hard work and commitment from a band of artists that walk very closely to me and to this exhibit.....they have made it their own and that makes the thought of doing this again very positive!

It is a great gift to be an artist. It is a great gift to have friends. To have both intertwined....such a treasure!

A New Experience!

2012-04-26T15:14:00.001-07:00

Today started out with a downpour that caught me on my way to a new experience! I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Karen Fridy and head over to WFDD radio station on the campus of Wake Forest University. We were interviewed by David Ford, who met us in the lobby of the studio with a smooth voice and kind eyes, which was totally appreciated since Karen and I were both soaked from the rain and running late.
David put us at ease and ushered us into the studio where we were placed in front of microphones that were much larger than I have ever recalled, which I am sure had something to do with this being my first time to sit in this place. But, very quickly we were ready to start and very at ease.
The questions were easy, and most responses seems to flow, so Karen and I are looking forward to
hearing the final result of our debut on the radio!

Ready to get us going! David was great at making the interview seem effortless!

We are sure that the exhibit and the Yadkin Cultural Center will both be represented well in this interview that David will edit and bring into focus.......I have to say that we left there with smiles on our faces and lots of ideas for more information that we could have shared........Thank you David for making the morning an amazing experience! I had so much fun and felt very confident that I had been given a new opportunity and it was a success! .... please support him by listening in and at the same time, get up to date on what is going on in the Triad!

Join 88.5 WFDD and host David Ford every weekday for interviews and insight into the Piedmont Triad's rich artistic community.

Triad Arts Up Close: Monday-Thursday at 8:50 a.m.
Triad Arts Weekend: Fridays at 1:30 p.m.

Our interview will be on May the 2nd!

New Show in Place

2012-04-07T05:40:00.001-07:00

It may be small, but it is still powerful and beautiful....Ten pieces of the "How do you paint Courage" exhibit went into the Watlington Gallery at Baptist Hospital last week. We are already getting calls asking about the exhibit. I hope that many will be touched and ministered to over the next 3 months while these pieces are on display.

The rest of the exhibit is tucked away in my studio as we begin to add new pieces that will be displayed at the Yadkin Cultural Center for the months of May and June. I am very excited about seeing these new works and hope you will come out to see the unveiling of these works. It is going to be such a wonderful addition to an already amazing show!

April Magazine Article

2012-04-01T15:44:00.003-07:00

This is the article that was written in the Winston Salem Monthly for April
Thank you for the coverage!

Painting Courage
Submitted April 1, 2012 No Comment
Local art show “Art with Purpose” spreads courage and inspiration.
By Kate Rauhauser-Smith

How do you paint courage or inspire it? That’s what local artist Kathy Brusnighan asked a group of artists last year. The result? A 60-piece art show that’s traveling from cancer centers to hospitals to community centers around the region.

Sixteen artists painted answers to that question, and Brusnighan helped organize the paintings into a series of exhibits. Works with titles such as “Stillness,” “Moving Forward,” “Warrior,” “Out of the Depths,” and “I Will Dream” have hung in the halls of Forsyth Cancer Center, Circa Gallery, and Randolph Hospital. This month, part of the exhibit moves to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center’s Watlington Gallery, where it will remain through June. The rest will head to the Yadkin Cultural Center in May and June.

The traveling exhibit wraps up in August with a move to the Greensboro Center for Creative Leadership, where most of the art will be for sale for the first time. When the exhibit ends in November, it will have shown in five health venues and various other sites for 15 months.

“I have always wanted my art to be more than good, more than income, more than my vehicle to create a pretty picture to hang on the wall,” Brusnighan says. “To know that some of the artists who have participated have received new direction and purpose is rewarding.”

You can learn more about Art With a Purpose at www.artwpurpose.blogspot.com.

New Art

2012-02-24T16:10:00.000-08:00

I am excited...several of the artists have finished their next piece and have sent me photos of what is coming. I did not think we could do better than our first whole hearted stab at this question, but some of the new pieces are just amazing....and in a new vein...and that makes me happy.

Because of my initial invitation, I began this journey thinking about doing a show for the health venues, but even before inviting the artists, I knew that Courage was much bigger than that and we must expand beyond that. And yet, some of the first responses to the question danced around sickness. Why is that? Do we fear sickness and death more than anything else, or are we just living in a society that has so many illnesses around us that it has become a part of the everyday struggle to keep going? Maybe a bit of both for some. For some of the artists, it was a challenge to address a subject matter that we don't normally think of when setting down to create art or a painting to sell. That makes this exhibit important and worth seeing...not everything you see would be expected in the main stream of beauty art and yet every piece is beautiful and real.

The new pieces are a mix..somewhat of a trade of space in content....some artists painted very light hearted the first time around and are addressing more thought provoking issues this time around and vice versa.....I really like this group of hearts that are moving through this process together....I am looking forward to hearing what this has all meant to them at the end......knowing that it was all done as a gift, to as many people as we could reach..and what they got out of it.

I keep asking my heart, What will be the next question you ask of your fellow artists?
And Who will come along for the ride the next time????

Well, I have asked an entirely different group a different question....we will see how that pans out...:)

She is ALL TOGETHER lovely!

2012-01-19T05:30:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was an awesome day! It marked the first time that the entire "How do you paint Courage?" exhibit has hung in a venue since it was released in September of 2011. The exhibit has been in several wonderful spaces and has had a great response, but due to size, has not been complete until now.

It took the efforts of an amazing team, Vicki Johnson, Phyllis Sharpe and Jean Smith, to pull off this move! Packing, protecting, driving and delivering pieces from Greensboro and Asheboro in the morning and arriving at the Forsyth Cancer Center in Winston Salem in the afternoon, only then to unpack and find homes for each piece in the halls and rooms of the hospital.

This was a new experience for us and such a pleasure, as Sharon Murphy, the Vice President of Oncology Services, invited her team of health care specialists to come and choose a piece of art that would hang in their area. Each group came in and carefully picked something that they felt would encourage their patients. It was very endearing to see the thought and care as each group considered the message and the painting that they would be sharing their space with for the next 3 months.

Large pieces were chosen for the dressing rooms and treatment areas. The wonderful painting by Scott Harris was placed in the Men's dressing area and Cathy's Story by Jean Smith was placed in the Women's dressing area, where all could have the time to read the message that went with each painting...

The large landscapes by Carol Moates and Amos Westmoreland were picked for the Treatment Rooms while the staff and the patients oooed and ahhed over the beautiful baby's face in the painting by Carol Hamlin.

I can not image being anywhere other than in the middle of this process. The comments and the appreciation by staff and community have been wonderful and make this project worth every long day and every sore muscle. The friendship and teamwork of my friends that have been faithful to carry the weight of responsibility with me always warms my heart and gives me lots to be thankful for.
Now we begin the next phase of paintings for spring that will be added to this show.....I think we are going to end up with a caravan, but the teamwork makes it so much fun!

Getting new Links

2012-01-12T07:17:00.000-08:00

In trying to get this information out, I am having to learn more about this computer....Oh my! so many codes and tabs! But we would really like to spread the word and get more people following the information about the Courage Show!
We would really appreciate it if you would sign up to received our posts ( which aren't so many! ) and share the link with your friends! Thank you so much and looking forward to hearing from you!

Thank you Randolph Hospital!

2012-01-09T12:55:00.000-08:00

Today has been a great day! It is cold and rainy and the perfect day to stay in and just soak in the stillness.

I opened my emails just a bit ago and found a wonderful email from Steve Cain. Thought you might like to read it. The positive response that we have gotten from the show really keeps my momentum going!

"We would like to express our sincere appreciation to Kathy Brusnighan and fellow contributing artists for sharing their talents and compassion through the "Courage" art exhibit. These inspiring works have graced our hospital walls for the last six weeks. During that time, I've had the very good fortune to hear many comments from our patients, staff, visitors and volunteers. The response to the exhibit has been remarkable. I would have to say a standout moment was watching a nurse and her patient in a wheelchair move from painting to painting, reading the story placard with each work and discussing what they liked about each one. The "Courage" exhibit offers a wonderful opportunity for passersby's to step away from the sometimes intimidating healthcare environment and enjoy the terrific artistic creativity of their fellow community members. Thank you again for the opportunity to exhibit the "Courage" art collection. Regards, Steve Cain Volunteer Services Coordinator Randolph Hospital Asheboro, NC"

So to each an every artist that has been a part of this huge endeavor, thank you so much for your input so far and your continuing support of the project!

From Randolph to Forsyth.......

2012-01-02T10:57:00.000-08:00

It is great to know that the exhibit has been a great success and many people have been touched by the art....and it is also wonderful to know that we have been invited to show again.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T10:31:00.001-08:00

I can feel it in the air....the excitement of a new year and what it might hold...I have yet to get the Christmas tree down but it doesn't seem to bother me this year....my thoughts are on new ideas and the
desire to get back in my studio. I am sure that once all of the boxes that are destined to go back upstairs are moved from the middle of the floor in my studio, I will be ready to dance and turn up the music a bit.

I am enjoying being still and allowing every thought of creating art to sell begin to roll off of me and leave me in a very peaceful zone ready to create .....just because. That feels really nice and in that place
I can be excited about the fact that the Courage exhibit is about to be moved. This next move will be the first time the entire exhibit will hang in one venue. I am hoping to hang out at Forsyth Cancer Center while everything is going up so that I can see this "baby" complete...........life is good!

A New Opportunity

2011-12-21T17:18:00.000-08:00

Christmas is right around the corner, things are very quiet and today I got an email listing an opportunity to be considered to show in Cary. Never shown in Cary before..but my interest is
now peaked so I am going to apply for 2013. How would ever have thought that we would be scheduling shows in advance! How life changes!
I am so proud of all of the work that is now hanging at Randolph! We have had such a response from patients and staff. We are touching hearts and making a difference one person at a time and I am very thankful for each of you!
The show will come down in just a few weeks and we will be on our way to Winston Salem. We have already heard from Forsyth and they are really looking forward to the exhibit.
Of course, I am thinking about the dates to take the show down and deliver it to Forsyth already..
and sending out the next email to encourage the next wave of paintings that will be needed for the 2 exhibits in April, May and June. I hope you are all thinking about your next statement of color!
while I am thinking of extending the show if we can....another hospital, hopefully another group of people that can be encouraged right where they stand.

New Location

2011-12-12T19:52:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,
It seems that we are finally heading to a good schedule for the exhibits and locations. Having to start out with so many switched dates and locations, it looks like the coming year is set and we can plan our take downs and relocations for 2012.

A portion of the exhibit is at Randolph Hospital through the end of December. I have heard from the wonderful people there that they are really pleased with the exhibit. The response has been the best of any exhibit they have had and I hope that really pleases and encourages all of the artists that are involved this time. The patients and the staff have been very touched by the exhibit and that is the purpose, so thank you to everyone!

In a few weeks the show will be moving to Forsyth Cancer Center in Winston Salem.
The entire exhibit will be there for 3 months.

OOPS! lets try again.....

2011-11-21T09:05:00.001-08:00

Such a beautiful magazine and I posted it sideways! Sorry!
Have a great day and thank you again!

Holidays are here!

2011-11-21T08:27:00.000-08:00

Today started out with a surprise in the mailbox...a beautiful holiday issue of Evergreene Magazine with one of my paintings on the cover! What a wonderful surprise...I quickly opened it and read the article that Marian Cowhig Owen had written. What a beautiful article about my art and the Art with Purpose show! I really am still a child at heart and I enjoyed every squeal of delight that I offered up with the turn of each page.....the magazine has so many wonderful articles and I have learned much about Junior League of Greensboro, as I curled up with the magazine and some pumpkin spice bread and just took it all in! Thank you ladies for all that you do for this community! It has been a pleasure working with you!
The show that was put together by Art with Purpose, "How do you paint Courage?" has just been moved to the next location, Randolph Hospital....I have not been able to see the show yet, but will do my best to drive to Asheboro and take some photos and get them to you! The paintings will be on display at Randolph through the end of the year. Then we will move to Winston Salem. We do now have the addition of Tom Edgerton's painting and we are really excited about this piece being on display for the holidays.
I am looking forward to the next phase of the show which will be the addition of 20 more pieces that will be divided and on display by April. But for now, I think everyone is thinking about family, big meals and the rush of the season....which is as it should be.
Now that Winterlight Gallery has closed and that was my homebase, I am taking some time to step back and look at my priorities for the coming year....this I know....art has to be about more than just painting something for pleasure, or to sell......for me, art has to stir the soul, heal the heart, and bring the Kingdom of God which is Love, Joy and Peace....

We are Back!!!

2011-11-11T11:18:00.000-08:00

Oh my, the troubles we have when we don't write down the password or the email address! But thank you Karen we are in!!!
There is so much to catch up on so let's get started.....
September and October were amazing months for the show!
We installed the exhibit on September 15th at Circa Gallery in Asheboro.. Mandy Sloan, owner of Circa had invited the press and a wonderful group that set up a healing drum circle. We so enjoyed being included in the circle!
The gallery was beautiful and the show was well received! We had 3 articles written in the local paper and many people came by to see the show.
We were honored to also have several of the paintings on display for the 5K Women's Only Run on Oct. 5th. We added a few more pieces and brought several of the paintings that were directed at Courage in Women. On display was, Cathy's Story by Jean Smith, Moving Forward by Jean Smith, Into the Light by Tom Edgerton, Warrior by Vicki Johnson, I will Dream by Vicki Johnson, Out of the Depths by Kathy Brusnighan, Angels of Hope by Connie Logan, Learning to Fly by Alice Bachman, The Runner by Carol Moates, I will Run by Jean Smith and The First Step by Kathy Brusnighan.
This was one of the first challanges to show in two places at once!
It did work out and we were able to move a portion of the paintings to the Cone Hospital for the months of October and November....

Additions

2011-09-09T13:48:00.000-07:00

Mandy Sloan of Circa Gallery just posted the invitation to the opening, and she added to my basic layout of the card! Looks great!

I think that all of us that have taken this journey can say a huge thank you to

Mandy! From the beginning, she has given me her time and her suggestions to make this show a success. I have to say that as a gallery owner, she is so willing to get involved with the artists that are represented in the gallery and support in every way that she can!

If you have never been to Circa Gallery in Asheboro, you are in for a treat when you step through the door! Not only does she have beautiful art on the walls, pottery on the tables, and unique handmade objects, but as you walk through the gallery, you are drawn into the busy back half of the area. There you will find classes, a frame shop and friends that are ready to chat and spend some time with you. I think Mandy has found a great way to make Circa work on a daily basis, with several price points to draw you in. This seems to keep the traffic coming in while building relationships. And isn't that what it is all

about? I have read that most people love to know something about the artist, about the piece they are considering and that happens at Circa..plus the fear of walking into a gallery is wisked away by the small town atmosphere that reminds me of my childhood. So, if you are in the area, please go by and meet Mandy and the girls. They are worth the trip!

Circa Gallery

150 Sunset Dr.

Asheboro, NC

The Small Stuff

2011-09-09T04:04:00.000-07:00

So glad that yesterday came and is now behind us! The crew showed up and began to make lists, revise statements, cut mat board, photograph art, and in general, bring order to the many facets of the last 6 months of phone calls, emails and decisions. Wow, what an amazing team thatpulled the world of one exhibit together!

Jean Smith spent hours, setting up templates and putting the artist's statements together. We were both thankful that some of the work was already done and the finishing touches were left for this day of last drafts!

Thank goodness for one in the bunch that knows how to manipulate the programs on the computer! I think we might all need some lessons after this is all over!

Phyllis Sharpe spent the day preparing all of the statements and cutting the final copies, preparing them to be mounted on the matt board. Of course, she wasn't alone, as little Fanci was sitting right behind her keeping an eye on the progress. My little Molly slept through the whole thing and was not much company to Fanci...in fact, I don't think they even

crossed paths the entire day!

Vicki Johnson was here in charge of all of the measuring and cutting of those tiny little mat boards to mount the statements on. She did a stellar job and they are all perfect. Not bad, now that I know she needed more tools than she had, but she made it work and I am so grateful!

Thank you Ladies, for pouring yourselves into this project! I know it is going to be a success!

Schedules and paperwork.....

2011-09-04T21:50:00.001-07:00

With only a few days to go, I am surprised at how calm I am....I am not sure if I am in total denial or really resting in the goodness of the Father and trusting that He has this all in His Hands...I would hope it would be the latter of the two....All of the pieces are not here yet, and the statements that are to be typed and ready to go with each piece are still on my computer, waiting for me to figure this program out...Thank goodness for friends that have been downloading their understanding of the amazing computer into my understanding! I am so very spoiled to have an amazing husband that I can depend on to bail me out if I "lose" something or hit the wrong button!
Jean Smith has spent an entire afternoon proving to me that photoshop is more than cropping and enhancing...Karen Fridy has taken a morning to lay this blog out and get me settled enough to at least post! Ha! I have a new respect for all of the beautiful blogs that seems to flow with color, interest and so many columns! Bravo to each of you that spend endless hours learning how to tame the world of networking! I just want to paint! but I am learning that this seems to be inevitable whether I like it or not.

I am working on creating a postcard for the show with this wonderful program that I did not even know I had! It is called "Pages" and the templates are wonderful and seem to make this almost painless.......

So Many Details!

2011-09-03T14:24:00.001-07:00

Today was a day to work on paperwork and help one of the artists that will be participating in the show with experimenting. Experimenting is always fun and we come away better and wiser. Such is life....One of the artists in the show, Phyllis Sharpe, is trying a new technique that has been fascinating....she has painted two paintings that are called saturated watercolors. She is now mounting the watercolor papers on canvas, and going to seal the works with varnish and cold wax. She will not have to cover the watercolors with glass, but will be able to hang them as an acrylic or oil painting. She has worked so very hard and has been so willing to risk in order to grow in her skill level. I am so proud of her! I have included a photo of one of her pieces. It is called "Stillness". The photo does not really show the subtle changes and motion that you can see in her painting....It make me feel as though I am under water and swimming to the top, about to break through the surface....what do you see?

We are still looking for a venue for April and July and I am sure we will have them in place soon!
I am so excited about where we are heading! I know it is going to be so worth all of the effort.
I now have about half of the pieces here, waiting to be sealed up and ready to travel...we will get the paper work in place first of the week.....what a wonderful team I have...isn't it great that we
get to walk through this life with friends!?