Tag Archives: Art as Worship

May 3 2012

Krista Goodrich: Helping Others Embrace Art

In 2009, Krista Goodrich quit her job as a financial analyst and started Masterpiece Mixers Paint and Party Studio in Braselton, Georgia.  This business has allowed her to return to her art roots where she helps others embrace art in a positive and healthy environment.

“Much of the time I spend painting is when I am teaching. I go within before each class and get into ‘teacher mode.’ I block out the rest of the world so it’s just me with my students and the painting. God helps me through the times I’m having a bad day so I’m able to be upbeat for my students.” ~Krista Goodrich

Listen to Krista’s Art as Worship interview on Empower Radio.

Krista focuses on expression through color variations and enjoys painting with strong, bright colors on big canvases. Born in south Florida, she moved to Georgia in the early eighties. She attributes her preference of vibrant colors to her south Florida roots.

Her art love affair began at a young age through her mother who introduced her to a wide variety of art — from pottery, to bow making to becoming part of a young Asian art society, exploring the use of art in Asian cultures.

Krista attended college in France — learning the techniques of art masters and their history.  She graduated with two bachelor degrees — one in French and one in Economics.

She says, “When I opened Masterpiece Mixers I was not very well connected with God. During the first year and a half of the studio, I had some things happen in my life — specifically a very close personal death. It was during that that I created my very favorite painting. While I was painting, I was reflecting on my life and reflecting on the one who had passed. There was a presence with me and that presence was helping me while I was creating art. Since that time I’ve reconnected to God through my art and through my daughter.”

Krista believes everyone can paint with just a little instruction. “Our slogan at Masterpiece Mixers is ‘It’s Fun Art, Not Fine Art.’ We want our clients to have fun and enjoy the process. People hug me after a few hours of painting and say it’s the best thing they’ve ever experienced. I love helping people embrace something they didn’t think they could do.”

A “Crazy Heart” painting by a Masterpiece Mixer autistic client was chosen for the Autism Awareness postage stamp.

She lives in Hoschton, Georgia with her husband Colin, her daughter, Tiana and their two dogs Dot and Danja. They enjoy family time involved in activities such as tennis, boating and wakeboarding.

Find out more about Krista at www.masterpiecemixers.com and join her at one of her studio to create your own painting.

Learn more about show host Vanessa Lowry at www.vanessalowrycreative.com.

Apr 25 2012

Karen Vuranch: God’s Energy Comes Through Me

Karen Vuranch weaves together a love of history, a passion for stories and a sense of community. She has toured throughout the United States with her traditional storytelling and living history performances, as well as made five performance tours of Wales and England performing her play, Coal Camp Memories. In 2002, Karen participated in storytelling exchange in China.

“The ancient Celtics had the sense that God is in everything and everything you do is spiritual. That’s how I look at my life — spirituality is part of everything that I do. When I’m creating, I draw upon God’s energy, but I also just let it come out through me.” ~Karen Vuranch

Listen to Karen’s Art as Worship interview on Empower Radio.

Karen brings history to life with historical interpretations of women from America’s past. She recreates author Pearl Buck; labor organizer Mother Jones; Indian captive Mary Draper Ingles, Civil War soldier and spy Emma Edmonds, humanitarian Clara Barton, Renaissance pirate Grace O’Malley, Wild West Outlaw Belle Starr and, the first lady of food, Julia Child, Hollywood gossip columnist Louella Parsons. Her newest character is beloved children’s writer, Laura Ingalls Wilder. Additionally, she performs a WWII play, Homefront.

On a lighter side, Karen writes and produces audience participation murder mysteries. She often works with community groups, creating a production in just two or three days using members of the community.  She also has a troupe of actors that travel to present the mysteries. The In Cahoots Players are a troupe of incredibly talented actors from Southern West Virginia. Collectively, they have performed in plays, musicals and murder mysteries throughout the region. Their stage presence, lively and spontaneous banter and quick replies make for a hilarious evening of entertainment.

Karen says, “The art of storytelling and live performance becomes intrinsically involved with the audience  — the audience is as much a part of it as I am. I have a little mantra that I always do before I go onstage. When I offer my work to God, the connection with the audience is magical.”

Karen has been honored by many organizations including the Corridor Tourism L Commission, receiving the Robert C. Byrd Community Service Award in April of 2005. Other honors include the McWhorter Achievment Award from the West Virginia Storytelling Guild; Performing Artist of the Year for Tamarack, the West Virginia state arts center; the Spirit of West Virginia Award from the state tourism office and the Celebrate Women Award from the Women’s Commission of the West Virginia Legislature.  In 1994, Karen and her husband, Gene Worthington, performed together at the Ellipse Theatre at the White House.  On her audio tape, My Grandmother’s Necklace, Karen performs stories she has written and collected.  She is currently in production with a new CD of the stories and song show Potluck: Stories and Songs about Women, Wisdom and Food, which she performs with Julie Adams and Colleen Anderson. Karen also has completed a DVD of Coal Camp Memories.

Karen graduated from Ashland University in Ashland, Ohio with double majors in Sociology/Social Work and Theatre.  She earned a M.A. from the Marshall University Graduate College in Humanities, focusing on American Studies with a minor in Celtic Studies. In addition to her work as a storyteller and actress, Karen is an adjunct faculty for Concord University, teaching Theatre, Speech and Appalachian Studies. She is a freelance consultant for the Coal Heritage Highway Authority. For this organization, she wrote and developed their Interpretation Plan, organized an event celebrating coalfield baseball and is currently directing an oral history project.

Karen says, “My spiritual beliefs and artistic growth are totally intertwined with each other. As I create, I draw upon spiritual energy. As I become more of a spiritual person, I become a better artist.”

Find out more about Karen and her upcoming shows at www.wventerprises.com. Here is a recent article about Karen from the Register Herald newspaper in Beckley, WV.

Learn more about show host Vanessa Lowry at www.vanessalowrycreative.com.

Apr 19 2012

Dixie Speck: Communing with God through Nature

For Dixie Speck, President, CEO and Lead Designer of Solterra Landscape Inc., plants and landscaping aren’t just a business, but an obsession. Her passion led her to leave a career in the engineering field, move to Atlanta, receive training in landscape design and horticulture, and start a landscaping business.

“I get to be outside every day enjoying communion with God through nature. After walking a property with a client, I walk through again on my own and start to get a vision of what the finished landscape could be and what plants could work well. I feel that God is leading me in that way and helping me figure out what would look great in my design for that particular property.” ~Dixie Speck

Listen to Dixie’s Art as Worship interview on Empower Radio.

Solterra has gained a reputation for delighting their customers both in creating beautiful, distinctive landscapes and providing excellent maintenance service. Solterra customers know that they can request special services and it will always be accommodated.

Solterra’s clients are looking for MORE – particularly more quality and more communication. Dixie and her Solterra team have won local and national awards for landscape design.

Dixie says, “I pay attention to little details — not just the flowers and the color, but the difference in the textures of plants and how they can work together a living design. I feel like an artist on a grand scale when I assemble the puzzle pieces together to create a beautiful landscape with a variety of plant material. I’m working with God’s gift of all these gorgeous plants.“

Dixie has taught classes on landscape design for Emory University’s Continuing Education Program, and is regularly asked to speak at Garden Clubs and other industry events.  She appeared as a guest designer for several episodes of HGTV’s Landscape Solutions. Dixie serves as an expert resource for Atlanta Home Improvement Magazine and is on the Board of Directors for the Georgia Urban Ag Council. 

Find out more about Dixie and Solterra Landscape at www.solterralandscape.com.

Learn more about show host Vanessa Lowry at www.vanessalowrycreative.com.

Apr 5 2012

Brandon Tutman: Trust Your Instincts

In 2011, Brandon Tutman turned to fashion after beginning his career in architecture. He now heads the Neiman Marcus, Atlanta Ralph Lauren boutique, as a fashion consultant. He utilizes the many labels within Neiman Marcus to style his clients.

 “I’ve learned to trust my instincts. If I hadn’t taken that chance of moving from architecture to fashion, I wouldn’t have grown. I would have been living life to someone else’s expectations and I wouldn’t have known what I was fully capable of.” ~Brandon Tutman

Listen to Brandon’s Art as Worship interview on Empower Radio.

Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Brandon was educated at Southern Polytechnic in Architecture. After briefly practicing architecture, he took the opportunity from a downward economy to leave his first love and embrace what has been his guilty pleasure of all pleasures; Fashion! Brandon’s foundation in architecture helps him understand each client’s physical structure and dress them for any occasion.

Brandon says, “If architecture is the art in which we dwell, then clothing is the art in which we function.”

He goes on to say, “When you get dressed, your clothing is a representation of you. The right outfit can help you feel relaxed and confident throughout your day. Let your clothing choices help you put your best foot forward.”

Brandon’s latest platform to merge the arts is through his lifestyle blog to be launched in late 2012 named, S.T.O.C.C. Seasonal Trends on Classic Collections. Contact Brandon through the Ralph Lauren boutique at Neiman Marcus in Atlanta, GA.

Learn more about show host Vanessa Lowry at www.vanessalowrycreative.com.

Mar 28 2012

Pat Fiorello: When You’re Creating, You’re Alive

Pat Fiorello is a professional artist who especially enjoys capturing the beauty and energy of nature in her vibrant oil and watercolor paintings. She is known for her impressionistic paintings of landscapes, gardens and florals.

Pat’s family name “Fiorello” comes from an Italian lineage meaning “one who lives near a wall of flowers,” so it’s no accident that she is drawn to painting flowers and scenes which capture the essence and beauty of nature.

“When you’re creating, you’re alive. It doesn’t matter what you are creating. You could be creating a piece of music or a dance or a spreadsheet or a casserole. When you’re in the experience of taking nothing and creating something, there’s nothing more enlivening. The creation itself is an amazing process and gets you out of your own self – out of your own ego and the voices in your head. You are present in the moment.” ~Pat Fiorello

Listen to Pat’s Art as Worship interview on Empower Radio.

Pat has an MBA from the Harvard Business School and worked in corporate marketing for 20 years including positions as Vice President, Marketing at Nabisco and Coca-Cola.

Self taught at first, Pat later studied with noted artists to develop her talents and skills. In 2002, she left her corporate marketing position to pursue her passion for art and concentrate on painting full time. Now she teaches others to paint at the Spruill Center for the Arts in Atlanta and other places in the U. S., Caribbean and Europe. While she is helping people build skills in art, her broader intention is to provide enrichment experiences for adults.

She says, “I really believe that you can never stop learning in art. I share with my students a quote I have in my studio that says, ‘I am still learning.’ That was a quote by Michelangelo when he was 87. You can start learning at any age and art is something that will last a lifetime.”

Pat has served as President of the Georgia Watercolor Society and Chairman of the Atlanta Artists Center. Given her unique blend of business and art skills, she also works as a coach with artists and arts organizations to help them be more successful.

With all that Pat juggles as an artist, teacher, coach and business owner, she says, “At the end of the day, it’s just a great day if I’ve had the opportunity to paint, learn or inspire someone to grow or get one step closer to their dreams.”

Learn more about show host Vanessa Lowry at www.vanessalowrycreative.com.

Mar 21 2012

Stanton Lanier: Life is an Adventure to Live

Pianist-composer Stanton Lanier offers a unique concert experience, combining signature melodies, inspiring life stories and audience interaction. Before pursuing music full-time, he was a chemist and financial planner.

“For a long time I took life too seriously. I thought life was more of a problem to solve. Now I know that life is an adventure to live. God has inspired all this music through me and He keeps showing me that he’s bigger than I think.” ~Stanton Lanier

Listen to Stanton’s Art as Worship interview on Empower Radio.

Four of Stanton’s seven albums were produced by William Ackerman, Grammy winning Founder of Windham Hill Records, including Christianity Today’s 2011 Notable Sacred Music (A Thousand Years) and ZMR Awards 2009 Best Holiday Album (December Peace). His music can be heard on The Weather Channel, Sirius-XM Spa, Music Choice Soundscapes and many other outlets.

Stanton is also the Founder of Music to Light the World, a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization with a vision to offer God’s “peace and rest in a hurried world.” Their Get Music Give Hope℠ has led to 20,000 CDs being donated to cancer centers and hospitals offering hope and healing to patients.

He says, “There’s a Bible verse about how God’s ways are higher than our ways. He is unconventional. He can bypass the whole system if he wants to and do it His way. It will blow your mind. There’s an inner affirmation of following our heart and then there’s outer affirmation as people respond. It can be good to not know how everything is supposed to work.” 

Find out more about Stanton and his music at www.stantonlanier.com. Send your family and friends a free music sample with an e-card.

Learn more about show host Vanessa Lowry at www.vanessalowrycreative.com.

Mar 15 2012

Carrie Newcomer: There’s a Spiritual Current in My Work

Carrie Newcomer is a rare breed of singer/songwriter: the kind who illuminates life with startling depth, humor and clarity. Her ability for sharp observation of the world lead the Dallas Morning News to rave, “She’s the kind of artist whose music makes you stop, think and then say, ‘that is so true’.” She has been described as “a soaring songstress” by Billboard, a “prairie mystic” by the Boston Globe, and Rolling Stone has said that she “asks all the right questions.”

“There’s a spiritual current in my work because there’s a spiritual current in my life.” ~Carrie Newcomer

Listen to Carrie’s Art as Worship interview on Empower Radio.

She says, “When someone creates a work of art or when we hear a song and a person has put their finger right on the open palm of something true, it shakes the world just a little bit.”   

In the fall of 2011 Carrie released her fifteenth album, Everything is Everywhere, as a special benefit project for the Interfaith Hunger Initiative on Available Light Records. The Interfaith Hunger Initiative is an organization including faith leaders and laity Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Sikh congregations, dedicated to the common cause of providing for those most vulnerable in our communities. Carrie says, “In a time when we are encouraged to fear difference or diversity, Everything is Everywhere was created as an alternative to fear and an affirmation of creative and compassionate engagement. I am one of a growing number of people who are choosing to not put the Sacred in such a small container.” 

She says, “We live in a world of distractions and it’s easy to not be present in our own lives. But when I’m here, when I am present in attention, I start to see miracles and I sense the sacred everywhere. At the center of what I am doing is an artistic practice but it’s also a spiritual practice. It’s to be here and to be open — to what’s right here, right now in front of me — and then write about it.”

Carrie internationally facilitates workshops and presents keynotes on the topics of songwriting, spirituality and vocation at colleges, universities, and spiritual communities, retreat centers. Newcomer, a Quaker, cuts across secular and spiritual boundaries. In recent years, she has emerged as a respected and recognized artistic voice for the progressive spiritual community.

Find out more about Carrie and listen to free samples of her songs at www.carrienewcomer.com. Click on the link titled Messages from Carrie to read her poems and articles. I wonder if Carrie’s poem titled “The Dare” will offer as much encouragement to you as much as it has to me?

Learn more about show host Vanessa Lowry at www.vanessalowrycreative.com.

Mar 1 2012

Patricia Hayes: We Are Collectively Changing the World

Patricia Hayes is an international lecturer, teacher, author and artist. She is the author of five books and has been a pioneer in intuitive and spiritual development for over 45 years.

Patricia and her husband Marshall Smith are the founders of Delphi University in McCaysville, GA. Patricia developed the extensive career-oriented certification and degree programs offered through the University. Patricia worked with the well-known medium Arthur Ford in the 60’s and 70’s, and after his death, in 1974 founded the Arthur Ford International Academy of Mediumship. Today, graduates of the school from 42 different counties use their spiritual abilities for the purpose of channeling, guidance, and healing. In the early eighties, Patricia founded The RoHun Institute which offers an extensive study program in Spiritual Psychotherapy and Transpersonal Psychology for aspiring therapists. Patricia is the founder of selfenlighten.com; a Self Enlightenment correspondence study program.

Patricia is also an artist that works in soft pastels. She has developed a technique of channeling art that she has named Entura Art. Patricia has used this method of art throughout her career to establish a relationship with Spirit. Of all her accomplishments, her favorite thing to do is channeling art and teaching aspiring artists this unique technique.

“What you worship in life and what you value in life does matter. Everyone of us is creating this world. Every single one of us matters. I think that’s the biggest thing that people are awakening to. I matter. How can I, just a little me, matter? But we do. Because we are all collectively changing the world, positively all the time.” ~Patricia Hayes

Listen to Patricia’s Art as Worship interview on Empower Radio.

She says, “I’ve always loved the mystical. It is the mystical that keeps me moving and inspired, growing and expanding.”

Patricia teaches others how to channel energy and to create Entura Art. She says, “When I create my art, I never know what I’m going to draw before I do it. I am channeling an energy and each energy is totally unique. This kind of art is actually easier to teach someone that has never drawn anything than to teach an artist.” Full details about the next Entura Art intensive are available here. www.delphiu.com/entura.htm

Patricia has appeared on numerous television programs including Current Affairs, Unsolved Mysteries, Unexplained Mysteries and Strange Universe.  The producer and crew spent time at Delphi University filming Patricia for the Japanese version of 20/20 in Tokyo. Her work has been written about in over thirty books over the last thirty years. She is the author of four previous books: Intuitive and Spiritual Development, Know Yourself, The Gatekeeper and The Extension of Life that she co-authored with her husband, Marshall Smith. Her latest book, Prince Abba and Magi Patiput has just been published.

Find out more about Patricia at www.PatriciaHayesArt.com or at www.DelphiU.com.

Learn more about show host Vanessa Lowry at www.vanessalowrycreative.com.

Feb 22 2012

Jill Felts: I Draw Out My Prayers

Jill Felts is Founder, C.E.O., and lead designer of Atlanta-based Compelling Creations, Inc.

As a faith-based, party plan direct selling company, the name Compelling Creations has become synonymous to marketplace ministry as the inspirational jewelry is passed from one woman to another by independent sales Consultants.

“Some people write out their prayers and I kind of draw them out.” ~Jill Felts

Listen to Jill’s Art as Worship interview on Empower Radio.

She says, “I let ideas bake. I come up with a new jewelry line by paying attention to what keeps reappearing in my life throughout the year. I just doodle and doodle the same design over and over and over again.”

Jill finds that listening and being still are important to her creative process. She says, “I feel like God already knows everything about us and what our heart’s desire is and so a lot of it is being still and letting go and just letting the flow happen.”

Since 1996, Jill has channeled her entrepreneurial drive into a passion to share her beliefs through messages and symbols inscribed on jewelry. Selling the jewelry through a team of independent sales Consultants has touched lives nationwide.

Prior to forming Compelling Creations, Inc., Jill was a project manager and account executive with several target marketing companies in Washington, DC, New York, and Chicago. Jill holds a B.A. in Rhetoric and Communications and a B.A. in French from the University of Virginia.

Jill and her husband have two adult daughters who grew up in the business.

See Compelling Creations jewelry line and contact Jill at www.Compelling-Creations.com. 

Learn more about show host Vanessa Lowry at www.vanessalowrycreative.com.

Feb 17 2012

Flora Rosefsky: Artists Need Time to Reflect and Daydream

Flora Rosefsky is a spiritual collage and mixed media artist who draws with scissors. She directs her favorite long-pointed scissors as they glide through painted paper, fabric, or ephemera. “With an intuitive sense of color and composition, like Henri Matisse, I thrive on the freedom to ‘draw with scissors,’ in a spirit of spontaneity that is so much a part of each new work.”

 “I am a big believer in finding sanctuary in your life. You need some quiet space. Time to think. As an artist you need reflection and you need ideas and you need time to think or even daydream.” ~Flora Rosefsky

Listen to Flora’s Art as Worship interview on Empower Radio.

She says, “Art is no longer something that I just do — it is so much a part of what I am. It took a while for me to realize that.”

ALeta’s Ketubbah

Flora encourages others to explore their creativity. She says, “Art is also for the non-artist. For those of you who may not think of yourself as an artist, try it. It makes you feel good. It’s joyful. It can be exciting. You can be any age to create art, from a child up to a senior citizen. Don’t be afraid. The materials don’t have to be expensive. Just enjoy. Go look at art, go to studios, go to openings and make art a part of your life.”

Personal Sanctuary

Contact Flora and see a full gallery of her art at www.florageart.com.

Learn more about show host Vanessa Lowry at www.vanessalowrycreative.com.