Artist Statement Mary Ann Echols When viewing my art, I hope people see JOY! HAPPINESS! DELIGHT! LIFE! My aim is for people to see, smile, and experience these happy emotions as they pass by the piece hanging on a wall or resting on a shelf. To know me is to know I’m not just all color and whimsy. I love to be inspired! I love deep and hard conversations. And when I paint, inspiration comes from everyday things —everyday creation and objects around me, scripture, and lovely, deep conversations with my Creator. That doesn’t mean I always start in a happy place, but it usually means I end up in…

These are a few of my favorite original acrylic works. I am inspired by wildlife, nature and making memories with my family.

Liz Cox is an artist working in acrylic, mixed media, alcohol ink, and hand-made paper. Her work ranges from semi-abstract natural landscapes to more textural intuitive paintings which invite the viewer to interpret the work. The canvas or paper record the dialog between the artist and the “blank page”. Her marks and forms create a type of visual language uniquely interpreted by each individual viewer. Many of her paintings are layer upon layer of color, texture, markings, glazes or paper that create depth and a sense of history…that something else came before the layer seen on the surface. Each layer guides the next.

Liz Cox is an artist working in acrylic, mixed media, alcohol ink, and hand-made paper. Her work ranges from semi-abstract natural landscapes to more textural intuitive paintings which invite the viewer to interpret the work. The canvas or paper record the dialog between the artist and the “blank page”. Her marks and forms create a type of visual language uniquely interpreted by each individual viewer. Many of her paintings are layer upon layer of color, texture, markings, glazes or paper that create depth and a sense of history…that something else came before the layer seen on the surface. Each layer guides the next.

Recovery is like a book with different chapters. Sometimes those chapters reflect on the events of the past building into the present story and shared the emotions of the present. Each chapter can reflect the different feelings of joy, pain, or grief. My art ebbs and flows like chapters or the changing of seasons. Different life events or plot twists are like the changes of colors or the media used you can see how my media changes but still sticks with the traditional of painting here. The greatest influences on my art include my father who has been a local sign painter and interior designer for decades, several of my…

There is more to life than what our five senses can detect on a daily basis. As a self-taught artist, I like to create art as a I experience and capture life as it unfolds. I paint with acrylics, oils or watercolors, or just capturing images with a simple camera phone to help retain the moment somehow. It is through art that I carve out a sacred head-space where I think about my Savior Jesus Christ and the realness of God as I live my every breath with meaning. I use my art-time to pray and slow down my anxiety about tomorrow and chip away at wasted time on panic…

I enjoy using different mediums when creating art. I am displaying a colored pencil drawing, a watercolor and graphite drawing. Each piece shows a different perspective of God’s beautiful creation.

When I draw, I feel free and I can do combat with the voices that say I am not enough. I frequently make mistakes, yet I continue to pursue the loud laugh of color on my page that says I am enough! My artwork is multisensory and immersive. It encourages viewers to see the world from different perspectives. When my children were small we participated in many sensory integration activities. Those activities have greatly influenced my artistic process. Now, I provide the viewer with manipulatives such as light diffraction glasses and color therapy glasses. I ask the viewer to see how the drawings change shape and color. Furthermore, I encourage…

Leslie Dudley Corbell is a Christian, artist and art historian as well as a social-emotional learning coach and co-host of @mindofachild podcast. To live in Christ is to live in freedom. Christ has torn down the walls that hemmed me in and broken the chains of captivity. Live in the present, create without fear, work without hindrance, honor God In all you do or say. It is for freedom that Christ has set you free. (Galatians 5:1) Oil on canvas

Recovered From… is a body of work that span a few decades of my life in recovery. Dead Winter examines where I would be without my Higher Power, Jesus Christ and represents a dark season of battling depression and suicidal ideation. Turning to Jesus in my despair and being grafted into His life-giving Vine ultimately kept me from becoming lifeless in body and spirit. Angsty Hydrangea was created over the course of a week during COVID-19. My process of recovering from insecurity, particularly around painting, is ongoing, harrowing and liberating, all at once. Sharing the process with others takes me out of isolation and brings my fears into the light…