March 19, 2024

Art in the Heart

        Art is a wonderfully subjective thing. I have visited many world renowned museums.  I pondered the Mona Lisa, wished to twirl after a Lautrec,
and spotted a Seurat, { no pun intended}.. But art really is about the heart. It does not have to go in a portfolio, and it does not have to impress the guest. It does not even necessarily need a frame. It just needs to go where you can see it, feel it, and love it, and let it well, make you happy.
 We have a treasured painting from a dear friend of our rescue dog Cooper. Let me start out by saying our friend is quite talented, but she knows us, she knows our dog, and she transferred the two elements into a fabulous portrait that is absolutely, one of our treasures. Another local artist we have highlighted , has taken her vibrant personality, intelligence, and love of the outdoors, and painted that onto her canvas.  I just want to put the joy I see in her art, and all her wonderful color under my pillow, and let it soak in…
Paintings can fill up a wall, or they can fill up your soul. You do not have to stand on a marble floor in a long gallery to fall in love. Find a local artist , it might even be a friend, and share their passion. Encourage them and make them share their gift with you. Proudly put their work on your wall or under your pillow.. and when you look at it and know it was from them, it will guaranteed, touch your heart.
Laine Neese is an avid golfer, philanthropist, and artist in Burlington ,NC. More of her paintings can be viewed at her website, http://lainefranis.blogspot.com/2011/07/pet-portraints.html.
Bett Huggins is a nurse anesthetist, and  artist . Her work can be seen at Ellen Taylor Gallery at The Vista, in Columbia, SC.
Andi Bartruff writer/contributing editor

You Work to Avoid Confrontation With Your Heart

I write about this today as a dear friend told me this was her reality. Working two jobs to avoid confrontation with her heart. I find this to be a true way of  life for many. I think so many of us “keep busy” whether it’s working a job, or obsessing about most anything that keeps our inner most feelings preoccupied. Simply put “not dealing with what could ultimately be self fulfillment” . We are not happy in our heart of hearts.

I understand all of this… as it is a coping instinct, but it will only work for a short while.  And when it fails to satisfy, then and only then will we deal with our heart. It takes courage and strength to focus on ourselves, but who else knows our needs more!  No one can make us happy and no one knows what our inner most feelings are except ourselves. As William Shakespeare once said…”to thine own self be true, and it must follow,as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man”  This that I write, we have all heard before, but we must start living it. Life is way too short to live it, avoiding confrontation with our heart! It’s up to you… find your peace. Stephen Spurling