Artists Who Inspire
7 Artists Who Are Making A Difference

By Renée Phillips

This is an excerpt from an article I wrote for Art Calendar magazine. These artists will also appear in my upcoming book. After reading this article and "Artists Who Dare to Step Outside the Box".

In this article, you’ll meet artists who have had the vision and courage to take the leap into an art career, pursue an innovative or unpopular path, or contribute to positive change. These artists serve as role models for each of us, encouraging us to aspire to our highest potential.

Turning Tragedy Into Triumph
Helen Keller said, “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.” Well, not true of these artists. They use the power of experience to contribute to greater causes beyond their own suffering.

When Rick Colson’s wife was diagnosed with stage four cancer, he spent a year as her primarily caregiver, leaving the business world and taking time to reflect. This artist from Wayland, Massachusetts, decided it was time to pursue his real passions — photography and image processing — but with a new spin: “Since my wife’s cancer is environmentally-related, I decided to start the world’s first virtually 100 percent green custom photo lab.” Colson prints healthier, sustainable, museum-quality fine art and photographic reproductions for his clients and his own work, without VOCs, chlorine, acids and chemicals. “We use state-of-the-art, aqueous carbon pigment printing on sustainable, recycled and fully recyclable papers and other substrates including those derived from cotton and bamboo.”

Rick says his wife is now doing well, and he enjoys the satisfaction of forging a positive new trail in the photographic industry. For more information on Rick’s efforts, visit www.ecovisualcom.com or www.greenphotoprint.com, or join his Green Imaging network on LinkedIn.

Elizabeth Stewart Carrigan

Elizabeth Carrigan, "Missing You"

(www.elizabethstewartart.com) an artist from Portsmouth, New Hampshire, started painting in earnest in 2003, when she became ill with Lyme disease: “I had been studying Celtic design on my own, but with many hours a day in bed for several months during treatment, I launched into painting, creating intricate scenes, all interpreted using Celtic design as a visual language. This was very healing, and after I completed several successful paintings, I entered a few competitions and won some awards. I now specialize in painting pet portraits in my signature Celtic design style.”

Elizabeth also donates pet portrait commissions to local charity auctions: “Donating artwork makes me feel richer, and I like being thought of as a generous contributor.”

Following a Mission
While funding for art programs is being slashed, Jami Taback (www.jamitaback.com), a master printmaker, painter and art historian from New York, has come to the rescue. With a strong desire to help children, she established “Adventures in Printmaking with Jami Taback,” a model for teaching art based on an intensive mentoring relationship with inner city youth, particularly those with behavioral problems and special education needs. During the last four years, she has taught and interacted with more than 300 children in alternative, public and private schools.

Jami says, “Through learning about the art of printmaking and its history rooted in ancient civilization as a tool for communication, students immerse themselves in the arts and education.”

She sets up a printmaking studio with a portable table press at the schools, and the youth spend several hours each week learning and producing their own work. The work is then incorporated into a museum-quality mural at their school. Field trips to museums further enhance the art experience: “Sometimes, it’s just to engage the kids in something creative, think about things differently, or to meet an artist, but sometimes it sparks an interest, and they find out that they are an artist, too.”

Karen Loew (www.KLoew.com) is a New York City artist and proud member of the Artists of the Coast Guard Art Program (COGAP) (www.USCG.mil/art). She is also the COGAP Committee Chair of the Salmagundi Club, which sponsors the national program. Member artists give their time and talent in support of this armed service. Karen explains, “We immortalize in our paintings the brave men and women who serve our country in the United States Coast Guard.”

Since 1999, Karen has contributed 17 works of art, nine of which were created after her deployment to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in May 2002. “The USCG sent me there to document port security by PSU 305 out of Ft. Eustis, Virginia. This Port Security Unit, comprised primarily of reservists called into extended service, was the same one that came to New York Harbor right after the 9/11 attacks on our city. It was very important to me, since I was selected to tell their story, that I give them proper tribute as a personal thank you. The brave and selfless work of the USCG is the greatest inspiration for creating my art for COGAP.”

Speaking the (Unpopular) Truth

Doug Auld, "Hugging Fire"

I admire an artist who has integrity to choose the path of most resistance, to speak the truth through art which may be unpopular. Such an artist responds to a higher purpose, despite the knowledge that their collectors and galleries will be limited.

Doug Auld (www.dougauld.com) paints portraits of burn survivors. His State of Grace series was initially inspired by what he describes as a momentary encounter with an adolescent burn survivor some 30 years ago.

“In 2004, I began painting large-scale portraits of young burn survivors, done with the cooperation of Kathe Conlon and Roy Bond at the Burn Center at the St Barnabas Medical Center in New Jersey.”

Doug refers to his art as “exploring beauty’s boundaries,” saying “(My models) are remarkable people who have overcome extreme adversity and display traits such as courage, inner strength, compassion and kindness.”

Doug’s art invites viewers to confront what makes us human and how these traits can alter people’s perception of who they find to be beautiful. He says, “I believe that art and the power of the image can be a catalyst for our personal evolution and the shaping of our society. In order to grow, we first have to confront the truth. This is the purpose of my work.”

Transforming Others through Leadership

Linda Summers Posey (www.LindaSummersPosey.webs.com and www.ArtistsAliveandWell.com) started her own group, Artists Alive and Well: “In two years, we've sponsored a half dozen major art shows and had one of our shows reviewed in a local arts magazine.

Equally important, the members have rebelled against the original tagline ‘Transforming the ‘Poor Starving Artist’ mentality to ‘Abundant Artist’ mentality.” Their mission statement sums it up: “Artists Alive and Well supports its member artists in creating innovative, economical opportunities to exhibit and sell their work and gain recognition throughout Greater Houston. We provide artists with a congenial environment for exchanging ideas with other artists, reaching out to the community, and expanding/building their careers with passion and confidence.”

Laurie Barrows, Curator Art Can Heal Program
Health is a positive natural state involving the whole being of the person. It encompasses physical well-being, as well as mental and emotional wellness - - all of which play a role in self-healing. The self-healing process enhances what science offers through medicine.

Through the display of art and photography in the hospital environment, the Art Can Heal Program seeks to lessen any negative impact of the hospital experience. Portraits, animals, florals, landscapes . . . the visual quality of art that cheers the soul and soothes the spirit comes in many forms.

Patients and their families receive the greatest benefit from the art. It gives them something to focus on and provides an unexpected boost in an otherwise stressful situation.

Staff members at Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital anticipate the changing shows which reinforce the human quality of their work.

Artists and photographers benefit from being able to exhibit their work while giving something back to the community.

The mission of the Art Can Heal Program is to create a healing environment within Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital through the display of art work, created by local and regional artists, photographers, and children, which has a positive, uplifting quality

For more information on the Art Can Heal Program or exhibition possibilities, please contact
Laurie Barrows, Curator
Art Can Heal Program
at (530) 389-8504
11815 Education Street
Auburn, CA 95602
artcanheal@colfaxnet.com

Submission Guidelines:
For artists in the areas of Placer, Sacramento, Nevada, Yuba Counties, primarily, are invited to submit their work. Only two-dimensional work can be displayed at this time. Sculptors and other 3-D artists are encouraged to submit non-returnable samples for future consideration as the Art Can Heal Program expands it’s scope.

Artwork and photography must meet the mission statement of the Art Can Heal program.

Art work is being sougnt for the On Loan Program. Art & photography is display in locations through out the hospital on a revolving basis. This program is intended for artists and photographers who wish exposure with work that isn’t for sale. The loan commitment is 6 months.

Art in the Permanent Collection in installed in permanent locations throughout the hospital.

To submit your work for possible exhibit
Mail 4 – 6 examples with bio information to the Curator. Slides, color photocopies, or prints are acceptable. Include a SASE for return of your materials.

Please note, only artists in the areas of Placer, Sacramento, Nevada, Yuba Counties, primarily, are invited to submit their work.

Mail to 11815 Education St, Auburn CA 95602
To query vial email, send JPEG files (72dpi) to artcanheal@colfaxnet.com. Put “Art Can Heal Query” in the Subject line. Include your contact information.
Please allow 30 – 45 days for your work to be reviewed. You will be contacted upon acceptance for scheduling.

Shows run 3 months. A reception for exhibiting artists is sponsored by Sutter Auburn Faith Foundation.

To find out more about The Art Can Heal Program, call Laurie Barrows, Curator at 530 389 8504 or email artcanheal@colfaxnet.com.

The Art Can Heal Program is sponsored by Sutter Auburn Faith Foundation. Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital Foundation provides the resources to assure our community the ability to live life to the fullest. To find out more about the Foundation please call 530 888 4557 or visit their office at Sutter Auburn Faith Hospital.

Your art is an instrument for potentially fostering positive change and as an artist you are naturally endowed with the ability to create your own destiny whatever obstacles lay in your path. To quote Helen Keller, again, “One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.”

You may also want to read Renee's article on this subject that will appear in her book: "Artists Who Dare to Go Outside the Box" and Artists Who Transform Loss...

Renée Phillips is an artist advocate and the Director of Manhattan Arts International at www.ManhattanArts.com. Known as "The Artrepreneur Coach", she counsels artists worldwide. She is the author of Presentation Power Tools For Fine Artists, and Success Now! For Artists: A Motivational Guide For The Artrepreneur.

Read more articles by Renée Phillips on this website.

Visit her blog at http://reneephillips.blogspot.com

Visit her blog at http://healingpowerofart.blogspot.com

Learn about her career consultation service.