Our congregation is blessed with many talented artists. Those of us who are working on Bringing the Bible to Life have invited some of them to serve as mentors for this project. Please consider contacting a mentor with questions like, “How do I get started?” “I have no talent—how can I contribute?” and “Where can I buy fill-in-the-blank art supplies?
I interviewed Nancy Paskin who has agreed to be a mentor. When I asked what medium she worked in, Nancy said “You name it, I’ve tried doing it.” She’s worked in:
- stained glass,
- paper mâché,
- drawing,
- acrylic painting,
- mosaic tile,
- pottery, and
- fabric.
Nancy has always been a crafts person. She likes the challenge of crafts.
You should know that Nancy worked for 25 years at The Lighthouse for the Blind where she taught visually impaired people how to adapt whatever craft they were used to doing, so that they could keep doing it after they lost their vision. She’s taught at many places, including Hunter College, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock and Salus University in Pennsylvania.
I also learned that Nancy worked with actors who needed to learn exactly how visually impaired people move-she worked with Al Pacino on his role in The Scent of a Woman, for example.
Nancy believes that anyone can be creative: “You have to be interested but you don’t necessarily need to have a lot of talent.”
Find something you are interested in “bringing to life.” It could be a fruit, vegetable, tree, or familiar Bible story. You could do this by drawing, sewing, painting.
Ask Nancy-she’ll help you find a way!
~Submitted by Connie Knapp