Two BEST artists, Diane Rasch and Sue Peterson, will have their artwork featured in the 10th Annual Brain Injury Art Show being held at The Mercer Gallery at Mercer Island Community and Event Center in Mercer Island, Washington. The show will run from June 4 through June 20, 2018. The gallery is open to the public during gallery hours and offers free admission.
In addition, there will be a special opening reception on Thursday, June 14, 2018 from 5:30 to 7:00 pm to celebrate the artists, their work and the exhibit. While there is no cost to attend, an RSVP is required.
To learn more about the art show and the opening reception by click here.
Meet the Artists
Artist: Diane Rasch
Art piece: Mixed Media Collage
Title: “Keys to Happiness”
For paper and mixed media artist Diane Rasch of Heartfelt Tidbits of Creativity, her art show submission came to her in a sudden thought. That thought bloomed into a step by step process that worked well for the artist.
“A thought came to me all of sudden. Keys to happiness came to mind. So, I began to think about what exactly the keys to happiness are,” shares Rasch. “Maybe it was certain people, words, descriptions, or different events.”
Rasch decided to use actual keys of all kinds; key images printed on paper, stickers and metal as symbols.
The other important elements that were symbolized were the thoughts of other people. Rasch reached out online to family and friends, asking them what their keys to happiness were.
The response was immediate and fulfilling.
Once Rasch collected her ideas, she brought her materials into Our BEST Space to begin her work.
“I repurposed another painting, selected my paint colors and used different sponges and brushes to add texture.
I incorporated the different things that people told me. That’s why this is such a special piece; it’s not just me in this piece, but it’s them, too.”
Rasch continues, “Because of traumatic brain injury, happiness can be hard. This piece is an encouragement piece. There’s something that can make you happy, even if it’s one little thing.”
Rasch wants viewers to think about happiness and what it means to them when they view her art. In fact, there is a key on the artwork that has a question mark. The placement of this special key was purposeful by the artist.
“I want viewers to ask themselves, what is my key to happiness?” says Rasch. “I want them to find something that speaks to them and touches their heart. It goes with my slogan—what comes from the heart goes to the heart. This slogan is about everything I do.”
To see Rasch’s past featured art show works click here.
Artist: Sue Peterson
Art piece: Original Photography
Title: “Wired”
Sue Peterson is a photographer and artist who is passionate about expressing herself through her art.
“I like to use my camera to help express myself,” says Peterson. “I know my camera can’t hurt my feelings or say bad things to me.”
For Peterson, photography as an art form was new.
“I never took photos other than people before my accident,” says Peterson. “My doctor suggested photography to me to help me get out of the house. I had to take a picture and figure out how to print it. Next, I had to bring the pictures back to my next doctor’s appointment to talk about them. Doing these tasks helped me to re-learn a lot of things and it helped build my confidence.”
Over time, Peterson’s photography skills and creativity grew, which blossomed into a new passion. Peterson’s photographs were well-received, and she continues to build a solid and supportive fan base.
One of Peterson’s biggest supporters is a co-worker with a computer background in the University Place School District has been a big inspiration to her and has been offering technical and creative feedback and ideas on Peterson’s work.
For Peterson’s 2018 art show submission, she photographed a tree at Point Defiance Park in the winter. By artistically manipulating the photo’s color background, the image is representative of the human brain under duress.
While photography is Peterson’s primary focus, she also loves to try other forms of art as well. For the 2017 art show, she created an intricate mixed media collage using colored rice to create the human brain. The process was meticulous and took a careful approach to lay out the materials. For Peterson, it was an exciting new way to express herself artistically.
The Brain Energy Support Team (BEST) wishes to congratulate both Rasch and Peterson for their powerful and inspirational art. We thank them for sharing their time and talents with BEST.