Pieces of 8 Challenge #6 - Nourish

Our challenge this month is "Nourish".   Enjoy!

This painting nourishes my soul.

Poured Paint with metallics

6x8"

Carol Schiff

www.CarolSchiffStudio.etsy.com

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I always think of nature in the context of "nourish" for so many reasons.  In addition to the fact that the nature does an amazing job of providing nourishment to the animals, plants and humans that live here, just being outdoors does a lot to re-nourish people emotionally.  So for "nourish" I painted the start of one of my favorite hikes up to Rich Mountain in western NC.

The Golden Hour

17 x 11, oil on canvas, framed

art@cindymichaud.com

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A little nourishment for the body and the soul.  I was in a pure color frame of mind so I decided to pay homage to one of my favorites, Cezanne, a master of color.

Pears ala Cezanne

Donnavinesart.Etsy.com
Donnavinesart.blogspot.com


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 Most everyone in my home town made a living from the citrus industry, including my grandmother. Oranges and blossoms not only nourished everyone in the obvious way, but also provided a means of supporting their families.

 

Orange Blossoms, 6x8

Carmensart.etsy.com

Carmenbeecher.blogspot.com

Carmenbeecher.com

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I find that going for a walk with my camera nourishes my creativity. Sometimes I'll find something I've never noticed before like this simple little flower growing profusely in the drainage ditches near my house. I picked a few and took several photos. I looked it up when I got home and found it's called "rhexia."  By studying the photos and the plant itself I was able to build the colors and the plant parts in Adobe Illustrator. By making each item a symbol, I can then just drag the items where I want them to try to create an image I like. I'm still struggling with making something out of this one because I'm not crazy about the color combination - red and green with purple! But when I need inspiration, a walk is what works for me and my camera makes me really focus. (Click on an image to enlarge it.)

Studies of Rhexia
by Kathy Garvey

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Pears Florentine

Paper Collage

7 x 9

Pears have always been my favorite fruit. I love their taste, their shape and their color. I even delight in saying the French word poire,which is the perfect sound for them. Cindy Michaud's extensive collection of what I call pear portraits was my inspiration for this work. 

The collage is made from my collection of Florentine wrapping papers from a tiny, well hidden but well stocked paper store in the heart of the hustle and bustle of Florence. 

Fay Picardi

A Story of Love by Carol Schiff

I recently came in contact with a wonderful woman in Raleigh, North Carolina.  Amy Jo was a fan of my facebook page and sent me a link to her wonderful page called Healing Ceilings.  Amy Jo's husband just came through his second brush with cancer.  She and her husband were spending lots of time in the Cancer Care Center of North Carolina, he, getting treatment and she, waiting and observing. Observing the same people day after day, as they came in for their chemo or radiation treatments.  She decided to do something to brighten their lives and encourage them in their fight.

BlueBird of Happiness by Kathy Garvey

Amy Jo believes in the healing power of art.  She decided to brighten the days of these patients by giving them something inspiring to look at while they receive their treatments.  Out came those old, white, boring ceiling tiles to be replaced with individual tiles turned into creative art.  How she did this, I do not know, but she has single handedly installed hundreds of tiles in cancer care centers in the Raleigh area.

Peaceful Beach by Denette Schweikert

She contacted artists through Facebook and asked them to donate their work on ceiling tiles that she somehow supplies.  Nothing stops her.  When I saw her posts and decided to donate, she arranged for me to go to my local Lowes (in Florida) where I picked up a box of the proper tiles at no cost to me.  Naturally, I involved my painting group, Pieces of 8 and gathered additional volunteers from them. One of the group, Cindy Michaud, who summers out of town, was following the journey on Facebook. Being a person who does not let grass grow under her feet, she contact Amy Jo and so far, has painted 6 tiles for the project.

Road to Sunshine by Cindy Michaud (2 tiles)

Garden of Inspiration by Cindy Michaud (4 tiles)

Everyone wanted to do peaceful scenes filled with inspiration.

Sailing the Bay by Mary Warnick

Ocean Sunrise by Carmen Beecher

I decided to do 3 typical scenes of North Carolina:

Abstracted Sea by Carol Schiff

Carolina Marsh by Carol Schiff

Mountain Mist by Carol Schiff

Did I tell you each tile is 24x24"?

Now that the tiles are complete, Amy Jo has done a "shout out" on Facebook to bring them home to Raleigh.  In her words, "The Love Train is leaving the station".  She will find volunteers who will transfer the tiles from place to place until eventually, they will be delivered to her hands for installation.

A story of love and compassion and determination.  The next time you think "What difference can I make"?
Think of Amy Jo.