Healing Ceilings, 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 contacted 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.

Rock City Gardens, 8x6 Oil on Canvas Panel, Landscape Painting by Carmen Beecher

Buy Now

South of Sebastian, Florida is this beautiful garden and nursery, where they welcome artists and allow us to paint to our hearts' content. Every time we go, there are more gorgeous paths and plants, plus a little lake with an island. I picked this spot because of the winding path and the dappled light. There's a bit of a mystery to paintings of pathways...what is at the end?

Carmen

Carmen Beecher Wins 1st Place at CFAI!

The Pieces of 8 are so proud to announce that our talented Carmen just won FIRST PLACE in the Contemporary Fine Art International juried show titled “The World Outdoors.” Her entry "Cathedral Rock" is just beautiful and it's so wonderful that it was recognized by CFAI. 

Contemporary Fine Art International was founded for promotion and exposure of artists internationally. They host over 100 blogs, through various social media forums, two annual books, a bimonthly magazine and other marketing campaigns. They also host monthly “Artist Showdowns” and quarterly juried shows which is what Carmen entered. 

Asked about how she came to paint this large oil painting, Carmen responded: "When we visited Sedona, Arizona last year I was blown away by the magnificent scenery. To get this scene, My husband and I went to a park, looking for this view of beautiful Cathedral Rock. We turned the wrong way and hiked and hiked, but that was a treat, because it was a gorgeous path along the river. We came upon a forest of cairns that people had built of stacked stones--hundreds of them. We finally found the above scene 100 yards from our car after we hiked back. "

Carmen sent along an amazing photo of the cairns she spotted.

To see the original "Cathedral Rock" painting and many more of Carmen's marvelous oil paintings (not to mention her fun zentangles and clever collages) please visit us at Ralph's Art Supply on Highland Avenue in the Eau Gallie Arts District for first Friday this week. All of the Pieces of 8 will have art on display. We'll be there almost all day Saturday, too!

Pieces of 8 Members Win Awards

Campo di Fiori by Carol Schiff

Train to Firenze by Carmen Beecher

Carmen and Carol have both won Honorable Mentions in Contemporary Fine Art International (CFAI) Juried Shows. Carol won in the Still Life category in the Winter Juried Show for her artichoke painting, and Carmen won in the Figurative category in the Spring show.

Coincidentally, both subjects were scenes in Italy. It's hard to take three steps without seeing something paint-worthy in that picturesque country.

To check out the beautiful art at CFAI, go to http://www.cfai.co/

The Kayakers, 16x20 Original Oil Painting by Carmen Beecher

Just finished this commission. I made a little slideshow of my work in progress. In retrospect I wish I had cropped it, but I'm now too lazy (busy) to redo it. To view the slideshow, which is very short, click on our Pieces of 8 Facebook page at right.

Carmen

Colors of San Miguel

Since I am working on a larger painting, I have no artwork ready to post, so I will share some of my photos from San Miguel de Allende. Above are Aztec dancers having a big celebration of their conversion to Christianity. I painted "Tiny Dancer," posted on March 23rd, from one of my photos of this scene.

I love this photo because she makes me look tall. This is the lady who owns San Miguel Shoes, and she is always dressed up in a hat.

One night at the villa we had a fiesta with a Mariachi band, and they were wonderful. Six violinists as well as five other members. The younger men decorated their guitars with those big white apple stickers you get when you buy an Apple device. Tradition meets Tech.

San Miguel dates back to the 1500s, which is really old for the New World. Or any World. I love the ancient-looking buildings with their beautiful doors and windows, and inside you may find a beautiful courtyard with flowers and trees. It's the Spanish influence, which in turn was influenced by the Moors when they occupied Spain. It's one of the things that makes San Miguel so appealing to artists.

Posted by Carmen Beecher

Tiny Dancer, 8x10 Original OIl Painting by Carmen Beecher

$199.00, Click to Purchase

While in San Miguel de Allende I got to witness a big Aztec festival, with scores of people in bright costumes and huge feather headdresses. They were dancing in the streets, celebrating their conversion to Christianity. So many people dancing in unison, wearing bright colors and glittering outfits presented quite a wonderful sight, but this little girl was my favorite, trying to keep up with the grownups.

Here are some of the adults in their costumes. I was so lucky to be town that day!

San Miguel Morning, 8x6 Oil on Canvas

Click  to Purchase, $99

It seems as though I've been gone forever. First we went to Virginia, then my sister and I flew to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. There we got to experience the beauty of the city and the company of lovely people. Cindy was there also, but we didn't get to see each other, alas.

San Miguel hides many wonders behind its weathered walls and ornate old doors. Its architecture is influenced by the Spaniards, who were influenced by the Moors, so those doors frequently hide a beautiful courtyard decorated with tiles, fountains, and flowers. On my first morning there I looked down upon such a courtyard and saw this little bird posing in the warm light. I only got one painting done while there, but I did fill my journal pages.

Rooftop Garden

What's Behind Door No. 4?

The music was unbelievable. This page from my journal represents the music we heard, two different nights, completely different from each other. The music at Mi Casa was so beautiful that it reached deep into the soul.

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.

Drying Off, 6x6 Oil Painting

I returned to my Everglades photos for this one. We were on the Anhinga Trail, and there was this Anhinga. There are a zillion paintings of these birds with their wings spread, letting their feathers dry. I thought this was much more interesting and funny, with all those unruly feathers sticking out. I would have named it "Ready for My Closeup," but that is the name of another painting I'm working on, which will be in the Pieces of 8 upcoming show, "Black and White and Red All Over."

PURCHASE

posted by Carmen

Sketching Downtown

On Monday the Pieces of Eight took to the streets--some painting en plein aire (outside) and others sketching in our journals. The weather was perfect and it was so peaceful. On the left side you can see the 905 Cafe, where Denette and I get the Brie Apple Nut Melt every time. Yum. The giraffes were in the window of the store Go Fish.

My journal so far has various places in Virginia, the Natchez Trace, Memphis, the Everglades, Clinton, Iowa and locations here in Brevard County, Florida. I recommend a travel journal for every artist. Fun!

Carmen

My Happy Place, 5x7

After our first cold day in North Carolina, the weather got better and better. We were drawn to the river, where there was beauty at every turn. Donna took this picture of me comfortably ensconced on a rock, painting happily. Thanks to Cindy, I had a very appropriate-looking hat.

posted by Carmen