A New Experience!

Today started out with a downpour that caught me on my way to a new experience!  I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Karen Fridy and head over to WFDD radio station on the campus of Wake Forest University. We were interviewed by David Ford, who met us in the lobby of the studio with a smooth voice and kind eyes, which was totally appreciated since Karen and I were both soaked from the rain and running late.
David put us at ease and ushered us into the studio where we were placed in front of microphones that were much larger than I have ever recalled, which I am sure had something to do with this being my first time to sit in this place.  But, very quickly we were ready to start and very at ease.
The questions were easy, and most responses seems to flow, so Karen and I are looking forward to
hearing the final result of our debut on the radio!

 Ready to get us going! David was great at making the interview seem effortless!

We are sure that the exhibit and the Yadkin Cultural Center will both be represented well in this interview that David will edit and bring into focus.......I have to say that we left there with smiles on our faces and lots of ideas for more information that we could have shared........Thank you David for making the morning an amazing experience! I had so much fun and felt very confident that I had been given a new opportunity and it was a success! .... please support him by listening in and at the same time, get up to date on what is going on in the Triad!

Join 88.5 WFDD and host David Ford every weekday for interviews and insight into the Piedmont Triad's rich artistic community.

Triad Arts Up Close: Monday-Thursday at 8:50 a.m.
Triad Arts Weekend: Fridays at 1:30 p.m.

Our interview will be on May the 2nd! 

New Show in Place

It may be small, but it is still powerful and beautiful....Ten pieces of the "How do you paint Courage" exhibit went into the Watlington Gallery at Baptist Hospital last week.  We are already getting calls asking about the exhibit.  I hope that many will be touched and ministered to over the next 3 months while these pieces are on display.

The rest of the exhibit is tucked away in my studio as we begin to add new pieces that will be displayed at the Yadkin Cultural Center for the months of May and June. I am very excited about seeing these new works and hope you will come out to see the unveiling of these works.  It is going to be such a wonderful addition to an already amazing show!

April Magazine Article

This is the article that was written in the Winston Salem Monthly for April
Thank you for the coverage!


Painting Courage
Submitted April 1, 2012 No Comment
Local art show “Art with Purpose” spreads courage and inspiration.
By Kate Rauhauser-Smith

How do you paint courage or inspire it? That’s what local artist Kathy Brusnighan asked a group of artists last year. The result? A 60-piece art show that’s traveling from cancer centers to hospitals to community centers around the region.

Sixteen artists painted answers to that question, and Brusnighan helped organize the paintings into a series of exhibits. Works with titles such as “Stillness,” “Moving Forward,” “Warrior,” “Out of the Depths,” and “I Will Dream” have hung in the halls of Forsyth Cancer Center, Circa Gallery, and Randolph Hospital. This month, part of the exhibit moves to Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center’s Watlington Gallery, where it will remain through June. The rest will head to the Yadkin Cultural Center in May and June.

The traveling exhibit wraps up in August with a move to the Greensboro Center for Creative Leadership, where most of the art will be for sale for the first time. When the exhibit ends in November, it will have shown in five health venues and various other sites for 15 months.

“I have always wanted my art to be more than good, more than income, more than my vehicle to create a pretty picture to hang on the wall,” Brusnighan says. “To know that some of the artists who have participated have received new direction and purpose is rewarding.”

You can learn more about Art With a Purpose at www.artwpurpose.blogspot.com.

New Art

I am excited...several of the artists have finished their next piece and have sent me photos of what is coming. I did not think we could do better than our first whole hearted stab at this question, but some of the new pieces are just amazing....and in a new vein...and that makes me happy.

Because of my initial invitation, I began this journey thinking about doing a show for the health venues, but even before inviting the artists, I knew that Courage was much bigger than that and we must expand beyond that.  And yet, some of the first responses to the question danced around sickness. Why is that? Do we fear sickness and death more than anything else, or are we just living in a society that has so many illnesses around us that it has become a part of the everyday struggle to keep going?  Maybe a bit of both for some.  For some of the artists, it was a challenge to address a subject matter that we don't normally think of when setting down to create art or a painting to sell. That makes this exhibit important and worth seeing...not everything you see would be expected in the main stream of beauty art and yet every piece is beautiful and real.

The new pieces are a mix..somewhat of a trade of space in content....some artists painted very light hearted the first time around and are addressing more thought provoking issues this time around and vice versa.....I really like this group of hearts that are moving through this process together....I am looking forward to hearing what this has all meant to them at the end......knowing that it was all done as a gift, to as many people as we could reach..and what they got out of it.

I keep asking my heart, What will be the next question you ask of your fellow artists?
And Who will come along for the ride the next time????

Well, I have asked an entirely different group a different question....we will see how that pans out...:)

She is ALL TOGETHER lovely!

Yesterday was an awesome day!  It marked the first time that the entire "How do you paint Courage?" exhibit has hung in a venue since it was released in September of 2011. The exhibit has been in several wonderful spaces and has had a great response, but due to size, has not been complete until now.

 It took the efforts of an amazing team, Vicki Johnson, Phyllis Sharpe and Jean Smith, to pull off this move!  Packing, protecting, driving and delivering pieces from Greensboro and Asheboro in the morning and arriving at the Forsyth Cancer Center in Winston Salem in the afternoon, only then to unpack and find homes for each piece in the halls and rooms of the hospital.

This was a new experience for us and such a pleasure, as Sharon Murphy, the Vice President of Oncology Services, invited her team of health care specialists to come and choose a piece of art that would hang in their area.  Each group came in and carefully picked something that they felt would encourage their patients. It was very endearing to see the thought and care as each group considered the message and the painting that they would be sharing their space with for the next 3 months.

Large pieces were chosen for the dressing rooms and treatment areas. The wonderful painting by Scott Harris was placed in the Men's dressing area and Cathy's Story by Jean Smith was placed in the Women's dressing area, where all could have the time to read the message that went with each painting...

The large landscapes by Carol Moates and Amos Westmoreland were picked for the Treatment Rooms while the staff and the patients oooed and ahhed over the beautiful baby's face in the painting by Carol Hamlin.

I can not image being anywhere other than in the middle of this process. The comments and the appreciation by staff and community have been wonderful and make this project worth every long day and every sore muscle. The friendship and teamwork of my friends that have been faithful to carry the weight of responsibility with me always warms my heart and gives me lots to be thankful for.
Now we begin the next phase of paintings for spring that will be added to this show.....I think we are going to end up with a caravan, but the teamwork makes it so much fun!

Getting new Links

In trying to get this information out, I am having to learn more about this computer....Oh my!  so many codes and tabs!  But we would really like to spread the word and get more people following the information about the Courage Show!
We would really appreciate it if you would sign up to received our posts ( which aren't so many! ) and share the link with your friends! Thank you so much and looking forward to hearing from you!

Thank you Randolph Hospital!

Today has been a great day! It is cold and rainy and the perfect day to stay in and just soak in the stillness.


I opened my emails just a bit ago and found a wonderful email from Steve Cain.  Thought you might like to read it.  The positive response that we have gotten from the show really keeps my momentum going!


"We would like to express our sincere appreciation to Kathy Brusnighan and fellow contributing artists for sharing their talents and compassion through the "Courage" art exhibit. These inspiring works have graced our hospital walls for the last six weeks. During that time, I've had the very good fortune to hear many comments from our patients, staff, visitors and volunteers. The response to the exhibit has been remarkable. I would have to say a standout moment was watching a nurse and her patient in a wheelchair move from painting to painting, reading the story placard with each work and discussing what they liked about each one. The "Courage" exhibit offers a wonderful opportunity for passersby's to step away from the sometimes intimidating healthcare environment and enjoy the terrific artistic creativity of their fellow community members. Thank you again for the opportunity to exhibit the "Courage" art collection. Regards, Steve Cain Volunteer Services Coordinator Randolph Hospital Asheboro, NC"



    So to each an every artist that has been a part of this huge endeavor, thank you so much for your input so far and your continuing support of the project!