Tag Archives: Spruill Center for the Arts

Apr 20 2013

Margery Kellar: Being Aware of Messages I Receive

Margery Kellar picStained glass artist Margery (Cunningham) Kellar grew up in Indiana and graduated from Ball State University with a BS in Art Education. After moving to Atlanta, she worked for the state of GA in Fulton County’s Adult Protective Services. Margery retired in 2011 and now has more time to create stained glass art.

 “I’m open to the fact that there is a God and that all I have to do is be aware of the messages that I’m receiving. I feel like I have a special Angel that gives me ideas. Sometimes ideas come in dreams or when I first wake up in the morning. At other times, they come throughout the day—when I’m driving or when I’m looking through a catalog. Ideas come all the time—I just have to act on them. And when I don’t, my Angel gives me another nudge.” ~Margery Kellar MKellar 4MKellar 1

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

She first took classes in stained glass art at the Spruill Center for the Arts in Dunwoody, GA. She is now an assistant at Spruill, helping instructor, Anne Rambo, teach new students.

Margery exhibits at craft fairs, is commissioned to create custom pieces, and is available to repair a client’s treasured stained glass art.

MKellar Celtic3She says, “Everything about stained glass attracts me. Lately, I’ve been creating Celtic knots—they twist and turn and are so beautiful when the sun shines through. Intricate Celtic knots were originally created out of stone or metal and were placed at the entrances of buildings to keep the devil occupied. The idea was that he was too busy trying to find the beginning and end of the strand that creates the knot to come inside. I enjoy taking Celtic knot designs from the seventh, eighth and ninth centuries and reproducing them in stained glass.”

MKellar Celtic2Margery is widowed and has three children. Visit www.atlantaglassart.com to find out more about Margery’s work.

Listen each Wednesday at 9am Eastern on Empower Radio to hear another artist’s story. Share your art and your comments on the Art as Worship Facebook page. Namaste!

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.”

Find out more about Pat, her workshops and her art at www.patfiorello.com. Check out her blog “Art Elevates Life.”

Listen each Wednesday at 9am Eastern on Empower Radio to hear another artist’s story. Share your art and your comments on the Art as Worship Facebook page. Namaste!