Q: What to do with way too many paintings?
A: Find them a home!
I had the best time giving away nearly 100 demonstration paintings to nursing home residents and neighbors this month! I never knew cleaning out my studio could be so life-giving!
In October I was so very blessed to be among a team of 19 volunteers who provided a 3 day retreat of respite, love and spiritual inspiration and support for individuals facing a serious illness and their caregivers. This retreat has been offered for about 40 years in my diocese of Arlington, VA. It was started by two women who had made a Cursillo Weekend and later sought the help of a team of nurses, doctors, priests and other volunteers to make it accessible for those with health challenges.
What an amazing experience we all had! I was so blessed to be able to spend a weekend with this beautiful group of men and women journeying together in God’s loving embrace. I was so happy to be able to extend an opportunity for all our retreatants and volunteers to an afternoon of painting and prayer. The theme that God placed on my heart was Psalm 23 “The Lord is my Shepherd”. It was 90 minutes that included singing, prayer and painting the cover of a prayer and gratitude journal.
I want to give a big thank you to Catholic Charities for underwriting the cost of the whole retreat and all the supplies needed for this workshop, and to all those who were so brave to paint with me! Here’s to the gifts of love, faith, and creativity explored together!
I was so honored to lead another group of volunteer leaders from Cursillo in creating a banner for their upcoming women’s retreat. Here’s a behind-the-scenes snapshot of how we did it in one afternoon. What a special day of collaborative fun and discovery!
In the fall of 2019, two families asked if they could each do a Facebook fundraiser to help underwrite my programs so more residents at the nursing home could continue to paint after our summer grant from Dementia Society of America had run out. You can imagine my joy – and that of the residents who got to keep painting!
Here are just a few of the happy faces and beautiful paintings which resulted from over $2,000 of kindness and generosity! I’m so thankful for all who have allowed me to take pictures so that I can share their joy and mine with you.
A huge thank you to the Preletz and Long families, and all those who supported their fundraisers for our senior artists!
This is one of the eight funny, multi-media collage paintings we made for local nursing home residents.
This project was a gift for local nursing home residents, and represents the collaborative creative efforts of nearly 25 of my students, from preschoolers to retired seniors, and took 5 months to complete in three different venues! It features 8 large canvases featuring trees and birds in winter and spring scenes, including baby birds in blossoming trees. We began by creating winter scenes of birds “dressed up” for winter. But the project took months to complete so we included some spring scenes as well since we delivered the work in the spring. The icing on the cake was meeting the recipients of our gift and treating them to a variety show at the same time!
The painting at left is one of six panels that are a part of this project which began in June 2009. Nearly 30 people contributed their talent and love to offer a tangible gift of love to shut-in residents in our community. Children of all ages, my art therapy clients (senior adults with mobility, sight and memory impairments at the Loudoun County Adult Day Center), as well as visitors to my home studio, participated with me. It took us three months to complete. I hope you’ll take a moment to see the full project. It’s sure to warm your heart!
Displayed at Loudoun Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Leesburg, VA and then at Blue Ridge Hospice in Winchester, VA.
Watch the slide show (requires Flash)
Five of my art students (ages 6-9) worked collaboratively with me in 2008 to create a house portrait for a local transitional shelter for homeless women with very young children.
This project features the work of students in my Budding Artists class. Each semester we pool together our creativity to bless others in our community through an “Art to Heart” project using our skills as artists. During our spring 2008 semester, we decided that we wanted to do something for homeless families in our local area. We decided to do a house portrait for the residents staying at Mary’s House of Hope, a transitional shelter for moms with very young children in Loudoun County. We combined soft pastels, oil pastels and markers with hearts of joy and love to create this one-of-a-kind gift of art.