As the curator of “The Healing Power of Elements: Earth, Water, Air & Fire” 2023 juried exhibition I selected Beth Shadur, Barbara Brown, and Mark Weller to receive Special Recognition Art Awards and I am delighted to share this Featured Article about them. They deserve to receive our attention and acknowledgement for their many achievements and valuable impact on our lives.
During the curatorial process I visit all artists’ websites. These three artists caught my attention because they deliver vital and transformative messages through their art. Their many contributions include using their extraordinary artistic skills to raise awareness about our need to honor and protect nature and much more. Their intentions are in alignment with the mission statement of The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS which is to create positive change through art.
Beth Shadur
Beth Shadur has created a magnificent series of paintings titled “The National Park Project”, undertaken with an Artist Grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency. She explains, “This project involves visiting various National Parks for research by hiking and photographing for eventual painted images, researching the various risks brought on by climate change and environmental policy, and looking into the cultural history of the land and its community. My works will compile information and images that reflect this research, and will culminate in a series of exhibitions throughout the state of Illinois and beyond.”
Beth’s career achievements are extensive. Her numerous exhibitions span the globe and include those at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Drawing Center in NYC, and the Butler Institute of Art in Youngstown, Ohio, to name a few. Her art is in countless collections and she has created over 150 large public murals in the U.S. and Great Britain. She is also an Artist-in-Education for the Illinois Arts Council in Chicago, IL and has served as a curator.
In her powerful statement submitted with her entries Beth wrote “My National Park Project addresses the impact of the National Park designation on First Nation peoples and on local communities. These works are meant to remind us of our responsibility as global citizens to care for our planet and our sacred spaces. For many years, my work has addressed the fragility of nature, and reflected my vast love for nature — including all of the elements. It is only with strong attention to our human impact that we can reverse what are dangerous trends; we must take action now before it is too late.”
Beth’s commitment to calling our attention to neglected areas of human history and the natural world has earned her place as an esteemed and important artist of our time.
Visit her website: bethshadur.com
Barbara Brown
Barbara Brown is renowned for her awe-inspiring forest paintings using a realistic and lyrical style that includes otherworldly symbolism and elements of sacred geometry to accentuate the mystery, awe and magic of the woods. She states, “I am passionate about sharing the beauty and the wonder I find there, and it is my deepest desire to foster a feeling of reverence for nature in those who view my work.”
Barbara has exhibited and won awards in juried exhibitions, and she shows her work annually locally in the Columbia Basin Culture Tour. Her paintings are in many private collections. She is also the author of SYLVAN REFLECTIONS: Wanderings, Paintings & Ponderings From the Forest, which contains her forest paintings and poetic writings that transport readers into her beloved natural realm.
When Barbara submitted her painting, shown above, to “The Healing Power of Elements” exhibition she wrote, “This old Grandfather stump, consumed by Fire 100 years ago, still standing with such presence. Home to mosses and lichens, worked away at by Woodpeckers & bugs, still forever giving of itself. Fire — Transformation. Sunlight. Heat. Energy. Summer. South. Spirit. Courage. Passion. Orange. Feel the warm power of FIRE in your solar plexus, as you can feel the solidity of EARTH in your flesh and bones, AIR in your breath, WATER in your blood —and feel your connectedness to all of creation.”
We are extremely grateful to Barbara who sees a world “where nature in all its beauty is held in reverence, where we in the human family have fallen back in love with the natural world . . . for we take care of what we love.”
Visit her website: barbarabrownart.com
Mark Weller
Mark Weller is an extraordinary photographer renowned for his innovative “Time-Stacking” photographs which provide a new way to view reality by adding the fourth dimension of time. His images often incorporate up to 100 multiple exposures “that are stacked and then intermingled into a final frame.”
Mark recently turned his attention to the sky and what it expresses about environmental change. When he submitted “Restless” to “The Healing Power of Elements” exhibition he wrote, “I live in the Upper Midwest, where the earth is everything. It provides fertile soil to grow crops that feed the world. Wind batters the former prairie landscape and twirls the storm clouds in menacing and threatening ways; but ultimately brings the precious gift of life sustaining precipitation. I am drawn to the topography of my birth and the signature look of the upper Midwest, and now document the transformations brought on by climate change.”
In the past three years alone Mark’s photographs have been exhibited in 18 art museums and over 100 galleries world-wide including The Holy Gallery of London, UK and The Black Box Gallery of Portland, OR, among others. He is the recipient of 38 awards. His art has been selected for several juried exhibitions presented by The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS including “The Healing Power of Color” 2023 Exhibition and “The Healing Power of ART: Resilience” 2022 exhibition in which he won a Special Recognition Art Award.
Mark’s collectors span the globe and he offers his limited edition photographs on canvas and paper. In addition to raising awareness about preserving our natural world Mark is also sensitive to the healthcare industry and its unique HIPPA requirements.
Visit his website: time-stacking.com
This is such an honor, Renee. I’m so thankful!