Thank You "Nancy Raia" and the "Eastern Shore Art Center"for your training, encouragement, support & dedication to helping people with disabilities!!!

A special thanks to Nancy for believing in me & working with me!!! I now have a passion for art & more confidence in myself & my abilities!!!

I want to thank everyone at the Eastern Shore Art Center for supporting Nancy & these programs for the disabled!!!

Love you all!!!

Traci

We just got back from the VSA "Art in the Magic City Awards 2008" in Birmingham & we had a wonderful time! Thank you to Erin and VSA and all that were responsible for such a great cause! This was very well put together and very professional. I just wished you could have seen the looks and reaction of all these that are disabled in some way when they won awards for the works of art that they are not suppose to be able to do in the worlds eyes. I'm thankful that God's got some people who care enough to see the abilities in other's disabilities!!! We are looking forward to VSA coming back to our area!I've got a few pictures;

 To start with this is the love of my life, Traci!!! She didn't want to get  her picture taken but I wouldn't take no for an answer. This was a special event so I wanted to make her feel special!

 This painting is by another one of Nancy's students, Janet! She is also blind! Wow, it looks great too!

More later, Elton.

     Boy were we surprised to see that we both had a painting to win a prize & sold!

Traci won the "Traveling Exhibit Selection Award" with this one (Fin-Tastic) & it goes to:

May=Northport, Ala; Kentuck Mueum & Gallery

June=Fayette, Ala; Fayette Art Museum

July=To Be Decided

August=Birmingham, Ala; Birmingham Museum of Art

September=Columbiana, Ala; Shelby County Arts Council

October=Montgomery,Ala; Alabama State Capitol

Also her other painting (Explosion of Joy) gets to be on exhibit at the Birmingham Art Center in Birminham, Ala.

As you can tell I am soooooo happy for her!

     I recieved an "Honorable Mention Award" & sold my painting (Exploding Dandelion) so I too am very happy & honored.

     Nancy & Traci are checking out all of the VSA paintings (233 paintings) as Nancy is describing them to Traci, what a gal!

I could not be a Judge for there are so many beautiful Paintings!

Nancy invited us to the Mobile arts festival & we had a great time!

Nancy had plenty of volunteers including Traci & my dd8 Sarah. Great time for Sarah to work with all ages & types of children. She did great! Sarah was a hard working helper! She also is a Sunday school helper with the tottlers at our church & she loves it! Sarah's dream is to run an orphanage when she grows up. We had lots of fun too! Nancy's project was blindfolding children & letting them see what it was like to be blind & paint without seeing. Of course I had to try it & was terrible!

These are faces of children that were passing by & Nancy ask if they wanted her to draw their face on this sheet of plexiglass. It was neat! Nancy comes up with some of the greatest ideas!

This was some of Vanesa's (woman in red shirt) paintings. They were great too! She paints at least one painting a day! Wow!

This is my lovely, beautiful, talented, (I don't have the time to finish!) wife  that I am very proud of for not hiding behind her disability but takes chances in life! (I'm her DH, I can brag on her, right).

She is standing in front of her painting that was sent to a Birmingham art show. Thanks to Nancy & the Eastern Shore Art Center!!!

This is Nancy Raia of the Eastern Shore Art Center. Nancy is working with another group of blind people, some have never painted before!

Traci  was just sitting in with the rest, but you know how HS'ing (Moms) Teachers are (they want to help teach too)! LOL

Nancy is a wonderful Artist, Instuctor, Host, & Friend. I wished all our HS'er friends could meet her!

This is a drawing of my mama the way I want to remember her, as always, reading God's Word.

O' she is still alive & well by the way.

Traci learned a lot by the time she finished this painting. Nancy gave her lots of pointers & ideas. She did this to sell originally. Now, Traci, her Mama & my DS7 Zeph don't want to sell it!

This log Cabin is an actual model made with sticks! It is so cool! Every object on there is raised & has texture, even real string on the swing. Traci didn't think she could do it. The only thing I did was cut the sticks for her and encourage her.

This is a special painting that speaks to the sighted and the blind. The Bible has "for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son..." in sentence form and Braille.

    Traci has made this painting, as all of her paintings, with raised-up outlines and details for the blind to be able to trace out the image with their fingers and picture in their minds. You can actually feel the drapes, window panes, candle, Bible, etc.

Another of Traci's first paintings. She had fun with it's raised outlines & real sandy beach.

Acrylics & "puffy" fabric paints.

Colorful art sold at charity auction at Eastern Shore Art Center!

Acrylics

"I See Men As Trees" Nancy,Traci, & friends at the Eastern Shore Art Center came up with this one as a group project. Miss Nancy put dark shades on Traci for fun, she's the one in the middle at the bottom of the painting. Sold at auction for charity!

Acrylics

Oldie but goodie, this was one of Nancy & Traci's first paintings together so she didn't really want to part with it. Nancy took her into the Bay waters to get a feel of the waves & to see the debri washed up on shore.

The neat thing about this painting is it has real sand mixed with paint to give real texture.

This painting of a fish is a little out of the ordinary! This one went to the Birmingham Art Show.

Acrylics with thick paste for raised texture effect.

This one Traci was working on for a while & was not pleased with it. Nancy suggested bright peachy colors & Traci then finished it & Nancy sent it to the Birmingham Art Show.

Acrylics on canvas.

This was Nancy & Traci's wild psalm trees! Sold for charity.

Acrylics with some raised portions with heavy paste.

These are my DD8's paintings. She is an upcoming artist. You will be seeing more from her I'm sure

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Next

This is my latest project (when I have time) that is in the works & unfinished.

This one is fine art in acrylics.