Category Archives: Fine Art

Speaking the Language of Heart and Art

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As we broke away from our interview on Thursday with author Mara Purl, we began to talk about the hardcover release of “What the Heart Knows” and the new cover design painted by watercolorist Mary Helsaple. Today, we will engage in conversation about the creative artistic marketing of the book as well as Mara’s life as a multi-dimensional artist. 

The Interview Continues – 

Sue:  What other creative things are you doing with marketing and merchandising as part of your new arrangement with Bellekeep Books? 

Mara: I have written a short story “When Hummers Dream” which is a prequel to “What the Heart Knows” available through Amazon’s Kindle and Barnes and Noble’s Nook e-readers. It is free until Labor Day. “When Hummers Dream” is a Best Seller on the Kindle free e-book list. After I wrote the short story, I realized there are many bird enthusiasts that follow all kinds of hummingbirds. I got invited to speak at a Hummingbird Garden in Phoenix. I look forward to that! 

We are having an internet launch on September 27 and there will be some bonus items included in the purchase of the hardcover “What the Heart Knows.” We also incorporated a heart cockleshell dingbat on the pages and each subsequent book in the series will have a different kind of shell dingbat aside the chapter numbers. Also, as part of the merchandising, there will be shell charms that people can purchase to match the dingbats in the books. They can begin to build their charm bracelets. It is our way of incorporating books and art. I created my protagonist Miranda Jones, a painter out of my love for art. 

Also, at the back of the book “What the Heart Knows” there will be questions to the reader to ask them whether they are listening……are they listening to their own hearts? 

Sue: Mara, you have worn many artistic hats over the course of your life time, as performing artist, award-winning author, screenwriter, songwriter and journalist. Were your parents always supportive of your career in the Arts? 

Mara: Yes! Tremendously supportive…always.  

Sue:  A little while after we met, I found out that you graduated from Bennington College with a degree in the Arts. As you know now, my place of residence of almost 30 years was in Bennington County,Vermont. Has your career matched your vision when you decided upon this field of study many years ago? 

Mara: Yes.Vermont is a magical place with independent spirit. Winter was long but the solitude became a cauldron for internal development. The mentors at Bennington College were wonderful and had extraordinary influence on me. I met two Bennington grads as a teen and both said it would be a good fit. The decision ended up a heart decision for me. There were small classes and I learned how to talk in front of people. You had to contribute because there was little other structure and few others in the class. I learned to be a self starter there. 

Sue: I was going to ask you to what do you attribute your success in working in so many dimensions of the Arts, but you may have just answered my question, in part. 

Mara:  Yes, I did. I found that in the quiet came self growth. And you ask yourself what are you here to do? I learned in my college years that the rest doesn’t happen unless you become a self-starter. I have concern about kids today and all the external they are exposed to – the TV, the iPods,  the cell phones, all the digital devices. They can’t be quiet and be with themselves in quiet spaces. They are plugged into something constantly. 

Sue:  What has it meant to you personally to be able to follow your dreams and pursue your passions in the Arts? 

Mara:  It’s funny, years into my career, I came across a guy that I had known way back, he said to me “you didn’t sell out.” At first I didn’t know what he meant, but what he meant is I stuck with what I wanted to do. But, I didn’t know what else to do. I was just being me.  For some people painful choices have to be made but I say it is never too late to come back to your core mission. 

Sue:  To wrap things up, what words of advice can you give to the younger generations who are interested in pursuing careers in the Arts? 

Mara: Listen to your heart and soul. Look for mentors that have walked the path in what you want to do. There will be well meaning people and ask their advice but there has to be internal and external balance. Finally consult with yourself only you really know. 

Sue:  This has been a busy month for you. You have been on virtual blog tours for weeks and you have a few more to go. Mara, I appreciate so much your taking the time to stop by All Things Fulfilling and giving us insight into your books and also into your career as a person who has so successfully made their living in the Arts. 

Sue: One last question – where can we look for “What the Heart Knows?” 

Mara:  In bookstores, through links on my own website www.marapurl.com, on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, on i-Readers. Just Google and you will find it.

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Building Partnerships for Community

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“We are not lacking in the dynamic forces needed to create the future. We live immersed in a sea of energy beyond all comprehension.” ~ Thomas Berry, The Great Work 

For those who follow this blog site regularly, you know that I have been curious for some time as to “What Do Men Really like to Write About?”  Weekly, I try to get some insight into this nagging question when I sit in on the Steamboat Writers Group. www.steamboatwriters.com. 

At the beginning of the summer, a new community meet-up group for independent publishers called She Writes Steamboat was introduced. After two consecutive monthly meetings, we concluded that She Writes Steamboat does not fit the description of the group. There are men who want to be involved, too! We’ve changed the name to SHe Writes Steamboat so we will be fulfilling the needs of both genders for independent publishing support.  

On September 9th, SHe Writes Steamboat http://on.fb.me/oOWKWm   will be hosting their first major event. The President of the Colorado Independent Publishers Association, Dr. C. Daniel Miller will be arriving in town. The purpose of this blog today, is to make it clear that SHe Writes Steamboat welcomes anyone who has ever even thought “I Could Write a Book about That!” to attend. In fact, artists, illustrators, independent filmmakers and musicians are also welcomed too. 

Join us one month from today, at the Bud Werner Library www.steamboatlibrary.org  on September 9th beginning at 9:30 am. Find out more about the wonderful support that the Colorado Independent Publishers Association has available through their organization and the e-book partnership they are building with libraries. Stay for the afternoon CIPA College offerings to learn about various options in publishing and the costs involved in independent publishing. Please pre-register by going to http://bit.ly/pdUNxz. 

Building a strong affiliation with the Colorado Independent Publishers Association would be a great asset to our entire community of creatives throughoutRouttCounty. Join in!

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Plein Air Painter in the Act

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“A good picture is equivalent to a good deed.” ~ Vincent Van Gogh 

Last Christmas, our Kiwanis Club had a banner year of fundraising through sales of our collectible, uniquely designed Christmas ornaments. We feel the increase in sales was attributable to doing something a little different last year. We offered two separate designs rather than one. One ornament had an iconic Steamboat Springs scene (which is typical) and the second ornament choice had an image of the four 2010 Olympians from Ski Town U.S.A.We wanted to honor the gold and glory that the athletes brought back to this town! Guess what happened? People couldn’t decide which they wanted to so they purchased both! 

Now the pressure is on to try to top last year’s sales! We have decided that for a second year in a row, we would veer from the norm. This year, we will feature the art work of a plein air painter who has given permission to let the Kiwanis Club of Steamboat use an image of her painting for the ornament design. 

This artist, has found inspiration for her plein air paintings all over the world and she recently independently published images of her art work in her book “Thirty Years Of Plein-Air Painting: The Art Of Jean Perry.” For more information on her book and to read what representational painter Richard Schmid has to say about the artist, please visit http://bit.ly/mXOEuV. 

I am quite excited to see how the ornament turns out. I like having local artists, no matter what medium they work in, involved in the process of creating art for the benefit of community. 

The fundraising dollars from ornament sales will help support a number of worthy causes focused on “improving the lives of children – one child and one community at time.” 

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Artists Supporting Communities

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“In art the hand can never execute anything  higher than the heart can inspire.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Adele in the Garden” by Richard Schmid ’09

In just a few more days August will be upon us! This year, Old Man Winter found it hard to leave and the sun-filled summer arrived much too late, for my taste, here in the mountainous areas of Colorado. The benefit of long lasting snow did provide extra days for plein air painters to capture those last winter landscapes on canvas, however. 

Attention Artists and Art Collectors: Save the Date of September 4th for the 16th Annual Richard Schmid Fine Art Auction. This auction has been held to benefit the Rist Canyon Fire Department since 1996. Since it’s beginnings, over 1,100 paintings have been auctioned off generating a total of 1.6 million dollars. The proceeds of $600,000 have benefited the volunteer Fire Department and the art auction has created the center attraction for the Rist Canyon Mountain Festival each summer. This is the  Fire Department’s big fundraising event of the year and a great chance for collectors to acquire a new pieces of Art.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with artist Richard Schmid, he has received the John Singer Sargent Award for Life Time Achievement and also has been honored in Washington, DC by the Portrait Society of America. In the opinion of many, Richard is the finest  representational painter of our time. This year he is offering for auction his painting “Adele in Our Garden.”
Other art for auction includes portrait paintings, landscapes, western-theme art, florals, animal-themes, still life, seascapes and even a few abstracts too. For more information on this ever popular art event, visit the following links: 

 Thanks to the generosity of Artist Richard Schmid and the other participating artists, the Rist Canyon is a much safer community in which to live.  This canyon area is dry, and susceptible to fire, particularly in the heat of the summer. The Richard Schmid Art Auction does a great job in fulfilling the financial needs of keeping the Rist Canyon Fire Department operating all year long.

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Fulfilling the Need for More

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“All stories interest me, and some haunt me until I end up writing them. Certain themes keep coming up …” ~ Isabelle Allende 

When Art Strikes was a blog about a photographic print that I had been struck by and finally purchased after a long wait. In reality, it was not just one print that attracted me to the artist’s work. It was the entire displayed collection. 

Once we find an artist whose work we like, we often cry out for more, whether it comes in the form of visual arts, books, films or music. Fans of Stephen King or Tony Hillerman  and many others wait with bated breathe for their next release. For fourteen years, the Harry Potter series of films have entertained children. Many kids grew-up right along with the main character, from childhood to now young adult. Fans of Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox have returned to the cinema for each new film of the Back to the Future series. Music lovers tend to buy more than one cd title of their favorite artist, too. True and avid fans don’t quickly disappear like a passing thought. 

Are you an independent publisher who has had a successful first book? Have you found your circle of loyal readers? If so, consider a sequel or a series. Begin to think of yourself not as the author of a single book but as an author brand. By having more than one publication, you can better create a real market for your self as an author and for your books. If you have a first book that is a “hot title,” it’s selling life can be extended if you are fulfilling the needs of the readers by giving more of what they want.

Obviously some books and films are meant to be “stand alone” titles, and are not suitable for a series or sequel. When writing a book, it can pay-off to keep in mind branding as a possibility. Not only are follow-up books exciting from the point of view of the reader, from a marketing or merchandising point of view, it can add great value to the independent publishers worth too.

Remember, independent publishers, it’s not just about the manuscript. This article will give you insight into what else it’s all about. http://bit.ly/aPEx0B.

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All Things Beachy and Beautiful

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“Truth makes on the ocean of nature no one track of light; every eye, looking on, finds its own. ” ~ Edward G Bulwer-Lytton

This weekend, there is a place where spirit and beauty will  come together for a  special weekend event that will be worth the trip to Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The charming Beach Rose Inn, in Falmouth, Massachusetts will be host to an exhibit “A Passion for Light – Paintings by Timothy R. Thies from Private Collections and New Oils by NJ painter, Judy Stach.” 

Timothy R Thies always painted from the light of his soul. His paintings are in collections across the country, and they will be gathered for this exhibit to celebrate his life as a nationally known landscape artist. Cape Cod was one of Tim’s  favorite places to paint. He often gathered artists together for painting workshops when he came to this coastal area, an inspiring  place for artists wanting to experience  painting en plein air. Tim studied and painted with the best artists of our time. To read the article in American Artist Magazine, in tribute to his life as an artist, please visit http://bit.ly/rrcehF. 

Judy Stach, an artist whose career has really taken flight in recent years, resides by the seashore in New Jersey and Florida. Friend and student of Timothy Thies, her beach scenes were recently selected to grace two covers of the New Jersey Shore Magazine this summer. Judy’s impressionistic landscapes, waterscapes and coastal living scenes will be featured in this show appropriately located near the beach! For more information on Judy’s art, please visit her website at http://bit.ly/nlDB3T. 

The opening event for this exhibit is Sunday, July 17 between 5 -7 pm. If you are unable to make the opening night, the paintings will be on display until July 31. The beautiful Beach Rose Inn is a favorite place for artists to stay and gather. http://bit.ly/mYCDUJ.

 Fulfilling the duties of curator of  the show is  Kristen Thies of West Wind Fine Art, LLC. http://bit.ly/qEWu9G.

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Enter my Universe

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Ok, so after yesterday’s blog, She Writes Home, I am in the doghouse!  So many of my friends, family, acquaintances and business associates e-mailed me back to say the details of what I have been doing in Colorado are too flimsy!  

  • “What have you been up to?” They inquire.
  • “We don’t hear from you enough!” They say.
  •  “We read All Things Fulfilling, but we want to hear your voice!” They demand!
  • “We still don’t understand  all of the  hullabaloo about “non-traditional” publishing that you write home about! We want to know more!” They state! 

Ok, ok, I will reveal! I do admit I have been on the fast track since I arrived in this State of Colorado and I do owe an explanation. I will  give you all a good glimpse into my world – especially for those of you who are green to independent publishing!

Who Can Attend?  Anyone around the world who is fluent in the English Language! 

Where?  STAY RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE! ON THE WORLD-WIDE-WEB 

When?  RIGHT NOW! 

How? CLICK ON THE LINK AND FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS !http://bit.ly/oIkV2g.

Hope you will enter  my universe and join in on an event that will open your eyes to a new world that is changing the lives of so many people all over the globe! Come along on this  fulfilling  journey of  possibilities and entrepreneurial spirit for every individual, business person and non-profit organization, no matter where you reside.

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A Glimpse into the Colorado Film Industry

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“Design creates culture. Culture shapes values. Values determine the future.”  ~ Robert L. Peters 

On this Film Friday, let’s look in on the independent film industry in Colorado, once again. It has been about a year since we have visited the filmmaking scene in the State “where the columbines grow.” 

Did you know that there has been a newly formed Colorado Creative Industries Division? The Colorado Council on the Arts and the Art in Public Places programs merged, last July, to form this new division, which is overseen by the Office of Economic Development and International Trade. http://1.usa.gov/jauOKx. 

The mission of this division is to promote and expand an industry that already creates over 54,000 jobs and $20 billion in revenue in Colorado as a result of making feature films, television commercials and shows, still photography, emerging mass media projects and music videos. The Colorado Creative Industries Division hopes to position the State as a leader in providing jobs and revenue through creative enterprises and entrepreneurs. There are incentives available to entice imaginative and innovative filmmakers to the State. For more information on the application process, and funding for film projects here in the State of Colorado, please visit http://www.coloradofilm.org/incentives.html. 

Perhaps  an independent filmmaker here in Colorado should produce a full length, feature film interpreting author Daniel H. Pink’s vision of a world ruled by right brained thinkers. It would make for interesting viewing and a fascinating case study to look back at the film fifty years from now to see if the world is anything like what Pink envisioned. 

What is your opinion of what a right thinking world would be like? Would it be a world filled with free spirits and dreamers not getting much done or can creative spirit set us on a new path toward a fulfilling, vibrant, unique economy in the 21st century? We would like to hear from you!

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Narratives in Medical Curriculum

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“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” ~ Maya Angelou 

Writing medical histories through the narrative form is currently being incorporated into curriculums in medical schools in many parts of the country. Medical students are learning how to better assess medical conditions through more intensive listening to the patient, and recording what they hear into narrative forms. The goal is to make healthcare decisions for the patient based not only on statistics and tests but by also “reading” a patient’s unique personal story of how they are feeling and their own symptoms. 

Why is the addition of the narrative form being incorporated into the way medical schools have traditionally taught students to diagnose illness? Empathy for the patient has been missing in this age of highly developed technical medical testing. Listening to a patient’s story leads to a better understanding of the whole picture of a person’s medical situation. A person’s emotions and spirit about the way they are feeling is part of the overall report, too. 

Daniel Pink’s book, A Whole New Mind, http://www.danpink.com/whole-new-mind explains how our society is on the brink of a whole new age of thinking. We have gone from an agricultural age (farmers) through the factory age (industrial), to the information age (business based on knowledge workers) to the emergence of right thinking business people, who are creators and empathizers. Surprisingly, we are moving into an age where more Americans are beginning to work in fields such as arts, entertainment and design than those working left brain fields (accountants, lawyers, insurance adjustors). In order to be accomplished in these growing fields of work, right brained thinking skills must be used and developed. 

Prosperity and abundance has brought a whole new need for fulfilling emotional, aesthetic and spiritual needs. Jobs in the “caring professions” counseling, nursing, healing are surging, too.  They are not jobs that can be decimated by workers overseas who can work faster and cheaper.

To read more about this movement toward the new conceptual age and right brain thinking that Pink claims will change the world, pick up A Whole New Mind.  Many libraries have it and it is a Business Week best selling book. It’s a fascinating read.

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Advocating for the Arts

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“The degree to which the arts are included in our educational curriculum is totally inadequate. The arts are just as important as math and science in an education and just as important as any other endeavour in our lives.”.         ~Ken Danby 

Good Morning! My blog today is going to be short, but it is about a real concern that I have. Yesterday, I received an email from the Americans for the Arts Action Fund and it seems that a bill has been introduced to end federal support for arts education. 

My response to this is “what about the children who are not particularly academically wired but are artistically and creatively gifted?” School curriculum without art education will leave those children behind. Increased drop-out rates will come as a result of kids not being able to excel and prove themselves in non-academic areas. 

Don’t let bill HR1891 terminate federal support that is needed to continue arts education in schools. All this talk of “creative economies” will be for naught! Children who excel in the arts, are the future of creative economies. Many of them will lead the way in finding innovative ways of doing business that will ignite our country. 

Parents, arts groups, teachers, and business people who depend on hiring the “creatives” need to speak up now, and oppose HR 1891. As a country, we need to be fulfilling our obligations to educate children who think outside the box, too! 

For more information on the Arts Education Fund or to donate for the continuation of arts education, please visit http://www.artsactionfund.org/.  To voice your opposition to these cuts in arts education, please go on line now and respond by emailing

advocacy@artsusa.org. 

Thanks for listening, thanks for responding!  

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