Chesapeake Fine Arts Commission - Annual Events from the Fine Arts Commission

2008 Healing Arts Artists

June is “Healing Arts “month at Chesapeake Regional Medical Center. Artworks presented are the result of using art as a means of coping with serious illness or disabilities, and exemplifies the healing value of the arts. The Chesapeake Fine Arts Commission and Chesapeake Regional Medical Center will present the “HEALING ARTS” exhibit beginning with an Artist Opening Reception on Wednesday June 11, 2008 at 5:00 p.m. in the lobby of the Chesapeake Regional Medical Center, 736 Battlefield Blvd. North, Chesapeake. This event is FREE and open to the public.

2008 Press Release

Jay (Galloway) Dooling

"Even the Trees Yearn for Jesse"
1997, graphite

"I was profoundly grief-stricken after my son died. Everything was cloaked in sadness. One night, as I drove past two trees, I thought they looked like hands reaching for the sky. I thought, "My God. Even the trees yearn for Jesse," and that became my catalyst for the drawing.

Mickey Quinn

"Donna's Robin"
2008, watercolor pencils

"Hummingbird"
2008, watercolor pencils

"Mandala"
2008, colored pencils

"A massive stroke on July 30, 2000 left Mickey Quinn aphasic and with right-side paralysis. This life-altering event may have robbed him of many things, but it did not take away his zest for life and positive outlook. His fighting spirit remains untouched. Although previously right-handed, he trained himself to use his left hand, and uncovered a hidden talent and love for visual arts. He enjoys working with Mandalas and geometric shapes, loves to experiment with color and is now beginning to sketch free-handed."

Nancy Jeannotte

"Rainbow fleet"
May 2007, acrylic

"Sunset in paradise"
January 2006, acrylic

"Water boats on water"
May 2005, acrylic

"My husband died in November of 2004 and we had been married 39 years. I missed him horribly and thought life could not go on. With lots of tears and the help of friends, I began to heal. I decided I would like to paint, but never painted before. And then it all began. I was able to express my self and lose my self in the painting. Time was not a factor. There didn't seem to be any time when I painted. Joy and satisfaction took over the sorrow, thanks to the healing art of painting."

Robyn Daniel Vasile

"Bountiful Harvest"
2006, household dryer lint

"Jefferson's Monticello, Virginia"
2001, household dryer lint

"Governor's Palace, Williamsburg, Virginia"
1996, household dryer lint

"Working with my hands has always been therapeutic after a stressful day at work or while at home. At the time I began working with lint, I was a mother to three young ladies and a middle school art teacher introducing a papermaking project with fibrous material. Lint made a lousy medium for papermaking, but it was soft, easy to cut, easy to manipulate and could be layered, feathered, overlapped, twisted and torn to make anything I wanted. In essence, I could use a collage and sculptural method to make pictures look like photographs or watercolor or oil paintings. I had the perfect medium at hand for doing any and every kind of art imaginable. Once I worked out the process, making lint pictures became a time for me to spend with God in a quiet room after the children went to bed. I began losing my hearing during this time, and it was nice to be able to do something of worth that didn't require me to hear. I am happy in the Lord to be able to work with my hands to make beautiful pictures that represent His love for us."

Colleen Taylor

"Spanish Villa"
June 2008, oil on canvas

"Grandma's Table Lamp"
June 2008, oil on canvas

"Tear"
June 2008, oil on canvas

"It was during an acupuncture session for pain that the subject of art was discussed. My doctor used art to divert attention and direct and focus rather than mediate. I tried it in music, then in oil painting from ???stations. It works. Cards, pictures and and ca?? often encourage me to do a project. My senior class was very therapeutic for me. At this time, the pain is management."

Carol Praissman

"George King Serendipity Cattleya Orchid"
March 2004, photograph

"Pansy: Up Close and Personal"
January 2004, photograph

"These pieces were part of a body of work I created while awaiting back surgery and right after the surgery. Photography and beadwork helped take my mind off the pain. I've had this cattleya orchid for seven years now. It blooms twice a year without fail and always amazes me at the colors it shows. Blooms start out apricot and fade to pink. The pansies were a mixed flat of the most glorious color combinations. I've yet to find another one this color."

Phil Scala (poetry)

"Not the Man of Steel"
May 2008, poem

"Love"
May 2008, poem

"You Didn't Know I Was Here"
May 2008, poem

"My name is Phil Scala, but it could be John Doe or Joe Smith. It doesn't matter. What's important is that I am only one of thousands, trapped in this tortuous body of pain with barely a flicker of light at the end of the tunnel. I used to love boxing to control my demon that was inside me, but since I can't fight with gloves, I have found that a pen is mightier than the glove. I suffer from chronic neurological Lyme disease which I contracted 13 years ago. I thought I beat it after five years of traveling to three different states and about 33 different doctors, but here it is seven years later and it has come back with a vengeance, this time attacking my nervous system, eyes and too many other symptoms to mention. Last time I took refuge in reading the great classics. This time, the Lyme disease was not as kind. I have found myself writing poems.which have become my weapon in the battle against the demons of chronic illness."

John C. Peters

"Helpless"
May 2007, acrylic

"Winter Night"
1992, oil

"The Captain"
1969, oil

John C. Peters, a well-known artist in the Chesapeake community as well as in New York, began his healing journey by utilizing his artistic talents bestowed upon him after being blown up and burnt in an underground explosion, which seared more than 70 percent of his body in third-degree burns. It is a miracle he survived. He also uses his artwork as a form of expression of his work as a caption of three boats. He is an honored veteran of the Korean War.

Betheny Rafferty

Betheny Rafferty is a novice artist who began her healing journey from chronic post traumatic stress disorder as a result of long-lasting childhood abuse and neglect. She uses her art as a form of language to express feelings that she has yet to put into words. She is currently the mother of two beautiful children, a yoga instructor and a graduate student pursuing a master's in mental health counseling. Capt. John has become an integral part of the Rafferty family.

Betty Cranendonk

"Pelican Island"
March 2008, watercolor

"Adobe"
2007, watercolor

"Anemonies"
1980s, acrylic

After being struck with a permanent vestibular disorder, a balancing problem due to intolerance to the antibiotic Gentamicin, painting became a great solace to me when rehabilitating as much as I could and adjusting to balancing when in motion.

Charlet Carscallen

"Solitude"
2007, colored pencil

"Blowing Free"
1990, colored pencil

Drawing takes me out of myself and nothing exists except my work. My ability was inherited from my mom who was an artist. However, it wasn't seriously used until my daughters were teenagers, we had moved to Chesapeake, and I was diagnosed with breast cancer - I then returned to drawing, hence the above statement was made.

Annette Chance

"Morning Has Broken"
May 2008, watercolor

"Simplicity"
November 2007, watercolor

I broke the C2 in my neck in 2006, wearing a neck brace and a copper bone enhancer until April 2007. The area was not healing - a decision was made to remove a bone from my right hip and replace my C2. Having rheumatoid arthritis in my neck area as well as my wrists and knees, my days seemed very long. With the help from good friends, the Southside Artists Association and a couple of watercolor classes from Everett Cossaboon, it was great healing to know that at the end of the day, I had accomplished something. I have always loved to garden, so I adjusted to painting instead of planting - at least the rabbits and slugs have not eaten my painted flowers. They like the real ones!

Betty Garrett

"The Worker Sleeps"
2007, oil

"A Buckaroo Dreams"
2007, acrylic

"Geese in Flight"
2007, acrylic

When I discovered I had to have a mastectomy, my husband bought paints, canvas and a brush and said, "You have always wanted to paint. Now is the time." What began as a healing art is now my full-time hobby. I have had wonderful experiences, met lasting friends and had opportunities to encourage others since my mastectomy in 1993. Picking up a brush is better than picking up a pill.

Esther Sowers

"Pink Ladies"
2007, watercolor print

"Early Spring"
2007, watercolor print

"Golden Girl"
2007, watercolor print

My name is Esther Sowers. I started painting in 1993. In 1994, my husband was diagnosed with colon cancer. While he was undergoing chemotherapy, my art gave me an escape from the reality of our situation. I have been pursuing art in different mediums, and settling on watercolor greeting cards.