Youthful Strength and Beauty

I recently finished another painting from the photos of my Africa experience.  This one is an 11x14" painting commissioned by Fred and Sherrie Sharpe of Texas who were also one of the generous supporters that helped send me on this trip.  Thank you to them, and again, thank you to all of you who had a hand in getting me there!  I hope that you will be delighted to see that I'm still telling the stories of the people in South Africa.  Don't be surprised that this probably won't be the last image that you see from me either!

You may remember that we had a few hours in a village with permission to take all of the photographs that our little hearts desired.  Many of the shopkeepers were standing out in front of their stalls in the sun.  I shot the photo of this girl from across the street using my zoom lens to catch her unaware.  I think at the time, I was attracted to her colorful clothing and the shapes and lines of her figure.  While scanning through my photos a year later,  it was her youthful strength and beauty that attracted me to paint her.

Perseverance

Perseverance is the 17 year old girl that I became very attached to, and vice versa.  She is a darling young woman with dreams of being a social worker trained to help AIDS orphans.  I'm praying that she is able to stay in school to reach her goal.  Pray that love and blessings will be showered upon her, and that besides "perseverance," she'll also have the courage to step into the life she dreams of.  She's a dear, dear girl.  While working on the background of this painting, a halo started to appear around her head and I decided to play that up to remind her of God's presence in her life.

Thanks to Cindy West for allowing me to work from her inspirational photo of Perseverance.

Rapule

I've had time to return to work on more portraits of the people that I met in South Africa.  This is Rapule Labere, who is the dancer that I told you about.  I think that he'll like this less traditional interpretation of himself.

My Newest Painting

I met this woman at the market place where she was selling squash.  I asked her permission to photograph her, and despite the fact that the photo was posed, she looked completely natural.  A born model, I guess!  I've made a few adjustments to the painting since this photo.  For instance, you'll notice that the collar length in the right hand bottom corner is not the same as the opposite collar.  Oops!  Glad I noticed that in time to shorten it!  My next painting is a landscape.  You may recognize the scene from the photo I posted on our arrival at the Origins retreat center.

Completing the Circle

Everyone asks, "What have you learned?"  "How has this changed you?"

I was already asking myself these questions before I left Africa, and have been pondering them seriously since my last post....and I still don't know if I have an answer.  My heart is full of things that I've yet to examine.   I've been walking quietly, trying not to trip, jostle or jar myself for fear that the contents of my heart will overflow and spill out before I've sorted through everything. 

Here are a few things that I'm still marvelling at:

Artists all over the world are just waiting for permission to be the creative person that God created them to be.  Just the story of my own journey in this area gave others the encouragement to follow their passion.

Art opens doors.  It opens doors to new places and new experiences.  It opens doors  to communication when there is no common language.  It opens doors to people's hearts and minds.

Art heals.  When words cannot reach the deep areas of hurt in a life, art can.

I went on this trip uncertain as to what I had to offer.  I learned that my story has power to encourage others to live their stories fully.  I learned that I can do something as simple as hand out soup and bread to someone in need, and that action makes a difference.  And, I relearned something that I already knew: just being with someone, listening to them, and letting them know that you see them and hear them, is the most powerful thing that you can do for another person.  If I have no other skills, I can to that.  Martin Luther King, Jr. best sums up what I experienced:

"Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve... You don't have to know the second theory of thermodynamics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love."

I'll continue to sort through the things filling my heart forever, but particularly as I'm creating paintings inspired by the trip.  I'm so drawn to the people that I met that my paintings will focus on them and the stories in their eyes.  Here are photos of the first two:

Thanks for sharing in this experience with me.  Thank you for all of your kind words and encouragement.  I'll post photos as I continue to complete additional paintings, and I let you locals know when the show goes up at Woodmen Valley Chapel.

Love, Julie

A Global Circle of Family

Sunday, March 13 2011

We return home this afternoon and begin to say our goodbyes.  The Mosaiek team needed to head back to their church to prepare for evening services, and we were attending church in the village of Tweefontein (the village of the twins' birthday party.)




Parting shot of the American and South African team members.



When we arrived in Tweefontein, the church service was already underway.  Rather than being housed in a tent like the other community churches we'd seen, Tweenfontein has  a building that can hold at least 200 people.  We had the privilege of participating in the service.  We joined in the dancing, and Kristen Wood and Melissa Lemke led some of the singing.  In January, Kristen Wood had written a song about Africa and our desires for the trip (lyrics at the end of this blog entry. )   When she performed it, the congregation was awed and delighted and soon launched into singing it with all of their hearts.  For people struggling with a lack of self esteem due to centuries of oppression, the  idea that someone was thinking about them before even seeing them touched their hearts and made them feel valued in a way that was new and enlivening.    Imagine someone even wanting to know their dreams!

Melissa and Kristen leading worship.

One of many singing Kristen's song with absolute joy.

Rita Dickerson painted during the service, something that's rarely seen in America, and entirely new to the villagers.  Their church had nothing on the walls, and now they have a painting that was done right before their eyes.  It will be the first thing to adorn the church's bare walls and will hopefully inspire them to create their own artwork to hang as well.

The pastor next invited some of the Americans to come up front to share something God has done for them.  Luke Flowers and I both felt that we wanted to say something, and shared from our hearts what their warm smiles and welcomes had meant to us.  The pastors there have a charming habit of repeating something multiple times to emphasize something, so when I added that I was so happy, happy, happy, happy to have had the chance to be with them, they were delighted and the pastor started the congregation singing, "Oh Happy Day" (singing the "Oh, happy happy day" line in his wonderfully graveled bass tone).   These moments of sharing were very powerful.  If you'd like to hear more about it, just ask me!  We needed to leave the service early in order to make our flight home, and as we walked out through the congregation, every woman who could reach me gave me a hug and told me "We love you."  I  started crying at having to leave them, and continued to cry as the van pulled off.  Everyone on the team was feeling subdued, sorry to be leaving the people of Africa so soon.   We learned too that Tweefontein's pastor had pulled Dave Wayman aside as we left to thank him and to tell him that this had been a healing experience for the people of his church.  We look forward to hearing more about that someday soon. 



Tell Me

Music and Lyrics by Kristen Wood

Tell me about Africa

Let me see the place you love

What about it makes you smile?

Take your time we've got a while.

Can you please let me in to your story?

Can you please let me in to your heart?

I want to know you - I want to see you

I don't want to miss you or walk right past

So can you please let me in?

Tell me about who you are

How the Maker of the stars

Has crafted you beautifully

Oh, it's obvious to me.

Tell me about all your dreams

Where you'd go if dreams had wings

Would you sing or draw or dance?

I want to give you that chance.

Can you please let me in to your story?

Can you please let me in to your heart?

I want to know you - I want to see you

I don't want to miss you or walk right past

So can you please let me in?



Hannah Eloge and a friend that she made at church.



A Special Circle in My Heart

I returned with a special circle in my heart for two of the Kwa-Ndebele residents: Thuso (pronouced "too-sew") and Perseverence.  Both currently live with women from their family.  Pastor Silas and Bob Guild have taken them under their wings giving them father figures in their lives. Everywhere I went, the individuals that I encountered were artists and these two were no exception.



Thuso

  

 Thuso is pictured here with some of his drawings on a piece of sheetrock that protects the outdoor grill from the wind.  At 14, he is bright and engaging, a talented singer and a caring soul.  He lives with his elderly grandmother in a home not far from the center.  We walked him home one evening and were fortunate to be invited inside the one room house by his grandmother, Coco Mama.  That little room holds her entire life.  She was so gracious and welcoming.  Thuso says that he wants to be a pop star when he grows up, but I told him that he would make a great pastor.  He is always on the look out to keep other people safe and comfortable, and watches over Perseverence when they are together.  He can be erratic in his school attendance though, so I'll be praying that he sticks with it.



Perseverance and Me

At 17, Perseverence is quiet and reserved.  With so many women in our group, she began to quickly feel more comfortable.  She shared with a few of us that she had cancer, and that Pastor Silas and Bob had taken her to the clinic for treatment (She was declared cancer-free at her last visit.  Some tumors were there, and now they aren't.)  I was of "mom" age to her, and she confided in me that she lived with her sister and the sister's child and that the situation was very hard for her.  They didn't have enough food. When we visited Perseverence's home that evening, we met her sister, who was not as welcoming as all the other villagers we'd met.  They have a two-room home which seems large in comparison with Thuso's, but it's empty except for some bedding in one corner, a single bed,  a small table and a broken refrigerator that they use as a cupboard.  Everything was very tidy, and one wall had been painted with chalkboard paint on which Perservence does her school work.

Perseverence has two years of school left, and is passionate about becoming a social worker.  She'd like to be involved in AIDS education and help all the suffering children she sees.  I had taken a silver ring with me to Africa that simply said "Jesus," believing there'd  be someone that I would want to give it to.  Perseverence was the one, and given her deep faith, it meant a lot to her.  I have her mailing address and will also try to keep in touch via email with Mosaiek and Bob Guild.  She writes poetry, and I'll send her some paper so that she can send her poems to me.  I'm praying that Perseverence finds a mature woman to love and support her.

David had warned me before the trip not to come home with an orphaned baby.  The greater danger was that I wanted to come home with a few teenagers.

A Circle of Community

Saturday Afternoon, March 11   We were very excited to be invited to a birthday party in the village of Tweefontein.  And this was no ordinary birthday party:  it was a 21st birthday party, which is a very celebrated birthday in Africa.  And, this was no ordinary 21st birthday either!  It was a 21st birthday party for twins, making it worthy of great celebration and extravagance.  The parents of the two girls invited us to be special guests.  While the villagers sat outside on the ground, we were ushered into a tent and an entirely different world within.  It was decorated as we would decorate for an American wedding reception and we were seated at the family tables.

After eating, we left the tent and the children and women gathered in a circle with us.  Time to dance and sing again, much to our delight.  This time, the children had the stage and we watched the range of older, more practiced teens to the youngest beginners.  It was just wonderful to see how the more accomplished dancers encouraged and affirmed the young learners.  No teasing or smart comments here.  The crowd suddenly began to shift toward the entrance to the village when they realized that the guests of honor had arrived.  They were danced into the community by dancers in colorful costumes and ushered into the family tent.

One of the dancers.  Photo by Melissa Lemke.



By now, I was too embedded in the crowd to see what was going on in the tent.  But I heard the girls being celebrated as fine, beloved women.  And then, I heard Kristen Wood, the singer on our team, serenading them with a song she had written for this trip.  I know that they considered Kristen's song more honoring even than the 12 chickens we had brought as a gift.

You know how you can sometimes go to a party, and feel like a wallflower?  You don't know anyone, and everyone appears engaged in conversations with old friends.  I don't think that awkwardness can ever exist in Africa.  They welcomed each of us with a big smile that said, "We're so happy to have you with us" and gave warm handshakes and hugs to emphasize that.  It didn't matter that we couldn't speak each others' languages.  We were there, we were welcome and we need only smile and say hello to someone to make a new friend.

A Circle of Everyday Life

Saturday, March 12
Breakfast with artists can look a little different.  Most of us were armed with cameras as Luke and Howard did the cooking.  While it may have appeared that we were wandering aimlessly in and around the tent, we were searching for images that would tell the story of Africa and its people in a compelling way.  Thinking that we might appreciate subject matter of the people-type, Bob Guild, one of the directors of Kwaggafontein, put several of us into his truck and drove us to the "plaza" for some people watching.  Our ability to photograph Africans just going about daily living had been very limited until now, so when he said we had permission to photograph anyone and everyone, we wasted no time.  The plaza is a strip mall in Kwa-Ndebele, a short drive from where we were staying.  A grocery store, general store, and KFC sort of place.  Bob led us down the nearby side streets where there were the more typical vendor stands of the community.  Here, many people wanted their photographs taken, especially with the young women on the team. 



This gentleman wanted his photo taken for me to show in America.

We were invited to attend a special event that afternoon that was taking place in a nearby village.  I'll save that story for tomorrow's post.  You'll find Saturday's circle inspiration there, too. 

A Welcoming Circle

Friday, March 11

This morning, we said goodbye to our hostess and cooks, Hester and Riann.  Hester has such a sweet, tender heart and when I went into the kitchen before breakfast, she was already crying over the fact that we'd all have to say goodbye in an hour or so.  She prayed such a blessing over us, and later had me in tears as she hugged me and spoke words to me that were an assurance from God himself that my presence in Africa made a difference even if I felt insignificant.   It was very hard to part.  Her quiet presence and her and Riann's wonderful care and cooking made us feel so loved.  I have to confess, now that I'm home, I find myself missing Hester and Riann each time I open the refrigerator or pantry and can't find anything to eat!  They spoiled us immensely.



Hester and Riann praying with us before we left.



We set off in the van again for the village of Kwa-Ndebele.  On the way, we stopped at a local market for a bit of South African shopping, left there and then drove through Pretoria to reach Howard's house.  We'd had the pleasure of meeting his family a few times during the week, but to see his home was a big treat.  Howard is one of us now, and it's wonderful to be able to picture him and his family in their very welcoming home.  That stop was too short as we needed to get to our final destination for dinner.



Howard and his children, Ruby and Luke



In this blog's opening photo, the fire is long dead, only ashes remaining, but this circle was the scene of one of the most memborable times of our trip.  It was just getting dark as we arrived  at Kwaggafontein Enthonjeni, the secondcommunity center that Mosaiek supports.  The car path through the field was lined with burning torches leading us to the huts.  As the van pulled to a stop, 6 men came from behind the building, clapping and singing.  We all spilled out of the van with new energy and listened as they sang and danced to welcome us.  Their energy and joy was contagious--well, at least to me and two other team members.  It took us two blinks to jump into the circle dancing when it began.  The long drive here was already worth it!

After putting our gear in the huts, we were led out to a big, white tent covering the tables and chairs where we'd be visiting and eating for the length of our stay.  The 6 men who welcomed us were all pastors of community churches nearby.  Great men, great dancers, great singers, and.........great cooks.  They had prepared a barbeque of epic proportions for us, including the beloved pap and sauce.   After the meal, they gathered us all around the enormous bonfire and handed each of us a drum.  There under the stars, they sang again and encouraged us all to join in with their drumming.   The evening ended too soon.

My memories for this day is include a welcoming circle that expanded to include us, joining in the circle of dancing and drumming, and sleeping  inside a circular hut that seemed the perfect conclusion of the day.

A Vicious Circle

Thursday, March 10

True confession.  We didn't actually see elephants at the Lion and Rhino reserve.  My parting shot yesterday of the elephant?  A life-sized plastic model at the entry.  But believable, right?

Thursday night was our last scheduled "people project."  Metro Evangelical Services (MES) operates in Hillbrow, the intensely populated inner city in the midst of Johannesburg.  They work to feed and house the street people, to provide job training and jobs for whoever they can.  They arranged for us to go out on the streets with them to hand out soup and bread.  One stop was on a street near some men's shelters and an abandoned Methodist church where many men slept.  Waiting for us in an organized line were about 20 or 30 men, and the numbers increased as we were there.  Most of the men were young.  They were polite and friendly and seemed grateful for the eye contact and smiles that we gave them.  Just being recognized and respected as a person was as important as the cup of soup and handful of bread.  Many of the men here have the same story.  They fled their countries (many from Zimbabwe) for political reasons and can't return, or they came to the city to get a job to help feed their families in distressed circumstances. 

I met one young man whose story is very typical.  His name is Luke and he's 17.  Luke's lived on the streets for the last 6 years and can't get a job because he doesn't have any documents that identify who he is and where he's from.   Like so many of the young men living there, he was beat up and his papers were stolen.  He has no way of replacing them and can't even return to his country of origin without them.  No papers, no job.  No job, no way to improve his situation.  A vicious circle.  Somehow he has managed to stay in school part of the time.  I asked him some questions about himself and learned that he loved to sing.  I saw that glimmer of passion in his eyes when he told me about that.  Dave Wayman connected him with one of the MES team who explained to Luke that they could help him get new papers.  And from there, they could help him get on his feet.  Luke could hardly believe what he was hearing, so much so that I am praying that he did indeed show up at the MES offices the next day to talk with someone.  After having so many disappointments in his young life, I could easily imagine him not trusting this offer immediately.  I wish I had someway to follow up with him.

The Circle of Life

Wednesday, March 9

I know, "The Circle of Life," corny.  But what else do you think of when riding through a reserve in Africa with Simbas, Pumbas and Rafikis everywhere?  Today was a chance for us to experience some of Africa's natural wonders.  The Lion and Rhino reserve did not disappoint.  Zebras, Ostriches, Lions, Cheetahs, Rhinos, and a rare Jackal siting.  There were animals everywhere and we thoroughly enjoyed marveling at the variety.  While driving through the reserve, I noticed a circle of grass that was more vibrant and lush looking than the surrounding areas.  I wish I had photographed it.  It turned out to be the area where the lions are fed daily and our driver got us a front row seat for the action.  Lions could be seen gathering, 8 in all when they had all arrived.  A truck containing a carcass sped across the circle and the alpha male ran after it, deftly catching a rope tied to the meal and pulling it off the truck.  As it began to eat, two females and a male sat closely, waiting their turn to feed.  Progressively, lions waited in position further back, according to rank, for the table scraps.

Notice the grass and how luxuriant it is.  It's the nutrients of the carcasses that nourish that circle of grass.  The circle of life.

Here are a few more photos from the day:

Photo courtesy of Cindy West

The Influence of Passion

Tuesday, March 8

I thought about Rapule all Monday evening, in particular, how his face lit up when talking about his passion.  In thinking about how I want to portray the stories of people in my art, I got excited about capturing that fire and life in their eyes when they begin sharing what really matters to them.  Regrettably, I didn't get a photo like that of Rapule but I set out for my next interviews with just that in mind.  Along with Dave Wayman and Kristen Wood, we returned to Diepsloot to talk with Pastor Eddie Ramabulana from the Diesploot church we had attended on Sunday.  When he spoke of his work, that of helping the community and planting new churches there, his face lit up.  Just like Rapule, when he spoke of his passion, he became fully alive, light and life shining from his eyes.  I tried to take photos of him when he wasn't aware (with the camera sitting in my lap).  I saw that same animation in his wife when she talked of her work with the children of Diesploot. This photo of Pastor Eddie comes close to capturing his excitement.

Pastor Eddie Ramabulana

The pastor and his wife then walked us over to the Diepsloot Police Station for our next appointment.  Officer Pauline Refilwe Mogale agreed to tell us a little about herself.  She proudly told us of a major sting operation that she had played a leading part in.  Her main role at the station is to work with the victims of domestic abuse and she makes a big difference in the lives that she touches.  As she talked about the situations that she's addressed, her passion began to shine out of her.  She has a real love and calling to the people she helps.  She also shared with us the real danger that the officers face each day while working in Diepsloot.  There are areas in the settlement that even the police do not venture into at night.  When we offered to pray for her, she excitedly ran to get her supervisor and he then requested that we pray for the entire staff on duty at the moment.

Refilwe Mogale

For lunch, the team met up with the Mosaiek staff and some of the Emthonjeni staff for more braii (barbeque) in a popular Zandspruit restaurant.  I'm mentioning this mainly to tell you about my new food love:  pap and sauce.   Pap is a ground white corn meal, similar to grits or polenta, only ground much finer and cooked with less water so that it's the consistency of thick mash potatoes, thick enough to pick up bite sized pieces with your fingers to dip it in sauce  (usually a tomato based sauce).  It's traditionally served with meat, and  I think I could eat it alone at every meal.  I'm now in pursuit of the ingredients to make it! 



Pap and Sauce



Tuesday evening found us back at Mosaiek for a big event:  The Awakening Artist seminar.  Artists from Mosaiek and other churches in the community filled the room as Cindy West described to them the journey that our artist ministry has been on for the last 11 years, and how God is calling all Christian artists to "create work that  no one has seen before or even realize that they need to see."  I could feel the thirst in the room of artists needing to hear that they have a valuable and legitimate role to play in the church if they follow their calling.  I recognized that feeling of thirst because I myself was in their shoes when the artist ministry first began at Woodmen Valley Chapel.  It's in learning to give yourself permission to believe that God loves artists and loves speaking through them that sets an artist free to pursue his or her calling.  I cried through a great deal of the evening as I realized how far our group has traveled together, where that journey has taken us and just out of sheer disbelief that I've had the chance to be a part of it.   New York, Africa and probably beyond...

The artists who attended the seminar are just now forming the circle of community that I described as setting us free to be who we are created to be.  I can't wait to see them reach the point where they are encouraging each to express what God gives each of them. 

The circle for this day was the effect that a stone has when thrown into water.  It causes ripples that spread and spread and spread.  Just like the passion of people doing what they are called to do.

Kristen Wood singing for the Awakening Artists of South Africa



A Circle of Light in the Darkness

Monday March 7 

I think that I mentioned in a "pre-Africa" blog that one of our missions on this trip was to hear the stories of people that we met.  Today was our first official opportunity to do just that.  The team was split up between three different locations.  I went with two other artists to the Emthonjeni Community Center located in the settlement of Zandspruit.  The center provides job training to residents in the settlement, pre and post natal care, a preschool program and an after school program for the children of working parents.  I met a young dancer named Rapule Lebere.  We seemed to be a total odd couple, but within a few minutes it became apparent that we had parallel artistic journeys.  Let me tell you the story of Rapule and his dream.

Rapule volunteers at the center teaching dance to the children.   He himself had an underpriviledged background.  For as long as he can remember, he's loved to dance.  He would watch television and copy moves that he saw and before long, was passing on his moves to other children.  Someone noticed his talent and his intention of bringing dance into his community and at their own expense, enrolled him in dance classes.   He eventually travelled to London looking for work in the theatres there, but returned to South Africa when his mother passed away.  Determined to give back, he began working with the children at the center and eventually wrote a musical called, "The Darkened Light."  He explained to me that even if you cover a light with a basket, the light is still shining in the dark.  He wants to produce his musical with the children of Zandspruit to bring attention to the talent there and to show the world that there is so much to be valued in the people of the settlements.  He believes that it will also bring awareness to the children that they have more options in life than they realize.  While he still would love to be dancing in a London show, He knows that his talents are better spent working with children to give them their own dreams.  Now, he says that his greatest success would be to watch one of his students from Zanspruit perform professionally. 

Rapule's light in the darkness is my circle for today and I hope to someday hear that his dream is realized.

Freedom within a Circle

Sunday, March 6.  We began the day attending Diesploot Community Church's worship service.  (Diepsloot is the settlement community that I mentioned in my Feb. 25th blog post.)  If you've ever spoken with someone who has gone to church in Africa or Latin America, you'll know that the services run a minimum of 3 hours and you think to yourself  "How could I possibly sit there for 3 hours?"  Well, you don't sit there.  There was dancing and singing and shouting and music and the time seemed all too short.  Everyone becomes a part  of the service and no one is remotely bored.  Up front was a guitar, a keyboard, a set of drums and about 8 vocalists. They rocked the place!  Dancing would start up front and people would run from the congregation to join in.  One person would do a series of steps and the others would join in.  Mostly, they danced in a circle.  The preaching was passionate and profound.  They didn't just go to church, they went there, broke the alabaster jar and poured out all that was within them before God.  It was all over too soon, and we headed back to Mosiaek's campus.  On the way, Liz Jarocki and I were talking about the "we" cultural element that was obvious to us in the service.  For instance, everyone dancing in the circle and following each others steps.  We've all seen African dancing on tv, but being there live brought home the fantastic energy of it.  The dancers made eye contact across the circle, smiling and urging one another on, completely engaged with each other.  Liz pointed out that at many points though, an individual would step into the center of the circle and do his or her own thing.

We attended two services at Mosaiek that evening.  The second service was very similar to Woodmen Valley Chapel's style, but the first service was unique to an evangelical church.  Mosaiek calls itself not "Non-Denominational, but "Post-Denominational," and I really appreciated the distinction.  They are culling the best practices from all Christian religions and using them to encourage a deepening of faith.  The 6:00 pm service on Sundays is "Lectio Divina," and is taken from the Catholic tradition.  Held in their small, traditional chapel, Lectio Divina is a chance to meditate on God's word.  A passage is read from the bible and then time is given to sit there in silence, apart from the noise of the world and just think about what it is saying and letting it soak in.  Sunday's passage was 1 Corithians 13's well known verses on love.  Now, silence and meditation are right up my alley, so I became annoyed when a few words and the driving beat of Mumford and Sons song "Sigh No More" circled over and over in my head until I finally listened to what the words were saying:  "Love that will not betray you, dismay or enslave you, it will set you free..."  The Africans dancing in the circle this morning popped into my mind and I knew somehow that when one of them stepped into the circle to dance their own dance, they were free to do so because of the support of the community of love around them.  They were free to express who they were created to be. And I realized that this is exactly what the community of artists that I've journeyed with at Woodmen for the last 11 years has done for me.  They have made me a part of a community where we all learn from one another and work together to create something of beauty.  It's this circle of love, passion and encouragement that makes me feel free to step out and do my unique dance as the artist that God has created me to be.  I could never be who and where I am today without that circle of love.  How wonderful is that?