Activity Updates

There is so much to share, that I could make this a really long post, instead, I will recap a few things that happened over the week.

The Vagina Monologue celebrity performance was really excellent. The women were beautiful and did a geat job. I even got three new volunteers for the project. The resort was georgeous with some really cool modern art.

There are two more monologue performances at ASU, Neeb Hall Saturday and Sunday. I plan to be there sharing the project with students on campus.





I went to the reading for Domestic Violence: The Musical at Save the Family, and I can tell you that this musical is really unique and wonderful. It's entertaining while educational about the fallacies that surround domestic abuse. Furthermore, if you are an organization that needs to raise funds to help victims, you can work with Linda and John King to set up and market a show for your organization. The show is an hour long with eight actors and can be performed in almost any venue big or small. Another win-win.

It's official! Henry from Salt Lake City, Utah is my first pet portrait for Bravery. If you haven't seen what Rhonda and Henry are doing to fight animal abuse, please take a look at Help Us Help Them. They're work is an important part of domestic violence awareness and accountability.

Next month is Women's History Month, and I've been invited to speak at the Women Studies Conference at Mesa Community College on March 20th. This is exciting because it's a chance to share Bravery Project, Inc. with people. I will be discussing the business side of the organization as well as my creative process in making portraits. There are three pieces from Bravery on display at the Kirk Center. Also, one of my volunteers, Elizabeth, will have her bead jewelry on display as well.


Many of you know that the October exhibit is at Fresh Start. I'm working on a nice reception for the opening night. I am very excited to say that Exhibit Experts has agreed to sponsor the art display panels for the artwork during the whole show. Those of you who are artists understand how expensive that can be, so I am really grateful to have this generous company's support. There are still many things needed for the reception and show, so please pass along the word.

Fix the Hurt

I had a very nice portrait meeting with a real special couple, Linda and John King. This will be the first portrait of a deceased domestic violence victim. Their daughter, Lisa, was murdered by her abuser. Fortunately, he is in prison doing time, but how unfortunate that it had to happen to these wonderful parents. Linda has become a tour de force in domestic violence prevention and has a website with video footage about her daughter's case. The video takes a minute to download, but it's worth the time and shows how much can be done with diligence.

Linda spends time speaking to groups from High School students to men in prisons about domestic violence. Her mission is about prevention. Linda and John are working on another wonderful way to educate the public on domestic violence prevention using the arts. Together they are creating Domestic Violence: The Musical to reach the public. This is a special performance with live music and an ending that is determined by the audience. How incredible is that!

If anyone is interested in having Linda speak at your event, please contact her. In the meantime, I will keep you posted on her production.

http://fixthehurt.com/videos.html



Just a reminder that Saturday, Feb. 23rd is the one time only celebrity performance of the Vagina Monologues out in Glendale put on by the Phoenix Women's Forum. It promises to be quite an evening. One of the performers, Divine, recited some poetry at the Harmony House Grand Opening event earlier this month. I can say first hand that this gal can write and deliver. Her poetry packs a punch that goes right to your heart.


A quick update on Henry's case in Salt Lake City, Utah. Rhonda, Henry's human companion, wrote in a comment to check the website Help Us Help Them. This site keeps you updated on animal cruelty laws being worked on. Go Rhonda and Henry!

Flu and News bites

It's pretty rare that it happens, but this year was my turn to get hit with the nasty strain of flu virus. Normally, I feel bad for a day and then it's back on my feet after a dose of Airborne and early bedtime. Not this time! With a triple digit fever that dragged on for 8 days and the lovely voice of Tom Waits, I finally went to the doctor and had some blood work done. Fortunately, there was no secondary infection, just a very low white blood cell count indicating a viral infection. So, upon doctor's orders, I had to stay home and miss two of my Bravery promotions at the Vagina Monologues at ASU Polytech and CGCC this weekend. Actually, I had to cancel all my appointments for the past week and a half, and to those of you who were expecting me, I do apologize. The good news is that the fever hasn't returned and the cough is slowly going away and I will be back among the living next week. Appointments are really picking up for the project, so it's time to get the wheels rolling again.

I am always looking to improve the blog, so I've added a news feature that gets updated in real time. This is quite interesting because there are two topics: domestic violence and art updates. These are news stories from across the nation and around the world. If you are interested in learning about latest stats on domestic violence of changes in the law, the articles will pull the latest information. If you want to know what is going in the art world, click on the word "art" and read the newest updates in the art industry. This news feature brings updates everyday, so if you are interested, visit the blog frequently.

I have also added some movies that might be of interest. Tim and I enjoy movies that are unusual and thought provoking, so I will keep an updated link list to share.

I am welcome to suggestions on making this blog useful, so feel free to offer feedback on what you would like to see here.

Bravery Project attempts to go nonprofit

With the help of some very generous professionals, I am working towards turning the portrait project into a nonprofit status organization as Bravery Project, Inc. (BP) There are many reasons for this. The project has blossomed, which is really great, but framing and art supplies can be very expensive, not to mention the printing papers, ink cartridges, and online services, etc. Fortunately for me, I've managed to keep costs to a minimum, but I am forced to seek outside monetary assistance through grant and donation requests. As a non-profit, anyone who chooses to donate to the project can receive tax receipts to write off on their taxes. Additionally, I plan to collect donations for the shelters in October (remember that 100% of October online/mailed donations go to the shelter groups). In order to maximize the success of the activities, non-profit status will provide the right structure to do this correctly, if the IRS grants permission. Who knows, the Bravery project could be quite successful and continue for a long time, but only with people working together to make the magic happen.

A bit of that magic is coming to fruition. If you check the calendar on my website, you will see that several events have been added. These are wonderful opportunities to share BP with other people. Some events will have a full gallery style display of whatever completed artwork is available along with a table filled with flyers, cards, etc to promote the project. February is especially exciting because of the new shelter opening out in the Peoria area. This will be the first and only safe-house for residents of that area. A much needed service.

I am also honored to be invited to the upcoming Vagina Monologue performances. What a fun way to spend the evening. If any of you can make it out to see the plays, please do so. Each performance is different, thought provoking, and very funny. You may never think of yourself the same way again.

If anyone would like to have BP at an event, please let me know. As always, I am still looking for volunteers for free portraits, so if you know of anyone who may be interested, please pass along the word.

Change begins with conversations at the dinner table.

A Workshop to Remember

I hope everyone is enjoying the first week of 2008 as much as I am. Thanks to the awesome people at Scottsdale Artists' School for giving me a scholarship, I just completed a wonderful three day workshop with William Whitaker, master figure painter extraordinaire. He was thrilled by the Bravery project which made me feel like a million bucks. Here was this amazing painter with 5 decades of experience, telling me he thought my project is wonderful. Not only did Mr. Whitaker field my gazillion questions, but he did it with good natured humor and an honesty that comes from being an experienced teacher who genuinely wants to help students. I have to admit that I do envy those chosen to be his apprentices. (He lives in Utah.) Nonetheless I am honored to have learned from a living master with his integrity and skill. My portraits will increasingly improve from what I learned. ( My hair, on the other hand, maybe not.)

One thing I did take away from my experience was that I am a much better pastelist than oil painter; thus, I am going to continue the portraits as drawings or pastels at this point. Oil's will come later. The main thing is to put out the best possible work, especially since Bravery is already going to be on display in February.

I am very excited to partner the Bravery project with the Phoenix Women's Forum and vdayphoenix.org. For one night, on February 23rd, the completed portraits will be on gallery style display at the Vagina Monologues event in Glendale. For those of you who can make it out to the beautiful Glendale Renaissance Hotel and Spa, this evening promises to be an amazing experience with celebrity performers. I will have a table with information about the Bravery project so people who are interested can learn how to participate. Tickets have been selling already for the past two weeks, so make sure to order yours soon.

I hope to see you there.