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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=4>Good morning to my fellow arts lovers, special
friends and NFB family: it's nearly Spring and that must
mean our Pennsylvania winter might be about to leave for a few months of warm
weather. We are all looking forward to that by now. I have a few things I want
to share with the folks on this group today. We all need a boost of
encouragement some times, and that is my inspiration for this note today. For
us, as artists with sight loss, it is not an easy path to make our work and get
it "out there" to the public audience. It takes a ton of work from the time we
begin to think of having an art show, till the time we are standing in the
gallery and smiling and greeting the visitors. And, for us, it is so much more
of an effort and careful planning and getting everything we need in place for it
all to happen. It is my firm belief that we all need each other, and that
we need to promote each other every chance we get. I had some
opportunities recently and want to share them with you today.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#ff0000
size=5><STRONG>First, my article on the art work of Tammy
Ruggles</STRONG></FONT>, a sight impaired artist in Kentucky. *Click on the
attached article to read it. The article was published in Arts Across
kentucky Magazine, and it was just released this past week. I am attaching a
copy of the article so you can view Tammy's beautiful and powerful paintings and
learn more about her work through this article I wrote about it. Congrats to
Tammy for her launch of the new "Promo Show" on Blog Talk Radio, too. I was one
of her first guests and it was so much fun to speak with her about making art as
an artist who has lost sight. I am scheduled to do another Blog Talk Radio show
with my friend, Alvaro Alvarito of Bogota' Columbia in the next week, too. We'll
be talking about the technologies that make life so good for blind people these
days, and the importance of visiting the LOW VISION SPECIALIST when you begin to
have any sight loss symptoms. </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT face=Arial><FONT color=#ff0000
size=5><STRONG> Second, the exhibition: Vision and
Revision, Two Artists with Limited Sight, not Limited Vision ...opened Friday
evening, March 7th at Merrick Art Gallery in New Brighton,
PA.</STRONG></FONT> A full-house attended the
opening. We were privileged to give presentations on our
pieces in the show. The most important aspect of my talk was was the
stories about other artists who are making dynamic work despite their sight
losses. I shared the insights of Karen Bailey of Muncie, Indiana who makes the
most powerful images of birds and other animals that I have ever seen - using
clay. I personally purchased on of her pieces and when it arrived we were
thrilled with it. There is a "livingness" to her birds that show an
understanding of the life force of the bird, and the interior structure that
forms the outward appearance of them. Karen has no sight and uses a
guide dog to get around by herself in the city, and gets to her pottery studio
where she creates her stunning work. I am looking forward to several more
commissioned works from Karen - they are ordered! </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT face=Arial></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=4><FONT face=Arial> I also spoke of
Jeannie Nylander of Lacrosse, Wisconsin, who creates sculptures of musical
instruments out of clay. She is deeply involved in the art scene in
her city. She has no eyes because they were removed a few years ago. Yet, she
continues to follow her vision in creating meaningful art that is respected and
honored by her peers in the art world. Their stories and their victorious lives
thrill me! </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><STRONG><FONT color=#008000 size=5> You
can have a look at the photos from this exhibition by visiting me on Face Book,
Search for: Lynda McKinney Lambert - or - River Road Studio on FaceBook. I
have attached three photos of works in the show, too. Be sure to "like" my
River Road Studio page, and sign up to be a member of my page and get updates as
I post new information on art.</FONT></STRONG></FONT>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=4></FONT> </DIV></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=4></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=4><FONT color=#ff0000
size=5><STRONG> Third, I was a presenter at Slippery
Rock University of PA last week. I did two presentations for the President's
Conference on Disabilities and Inclusion.</STRONG></FONT> </FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=4> I shared information on
the technologies that I use, and spread awareness of the myths of blindness that
are challenges. </FONT><FONT size=4>All of this has happened in just the
last six days, and you can imagine there are other exciting and challenging
writing and art projects on the horizon that I am currently working
on. I am taking a little "break" for a couple of weeks, and then I will be
back in the studio creating works for my forthcoming solo exhibitions in the
next couple of years. Stay tuned for information on those later
on!</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=4> If you want to catch a
view of the Vision and Revision exhibition, it will be on display until April 3
at the Merrick Art Gallery, New Brighton, PA. The opening on Friday night
was a tremendous success, filled with excited and positive people, and sales of
my work were beyond any expectations I could have had. Thank you for your
support of my work - it is created in an atmosphere of peace and joy, and it is
my privilege to share it as I do through exhibitions. I am very pleased to visit
the exhibition with you or your GROUP, just let me know when you would like a
person walk through the show and I will do my best to help you out. I am
already scheduled to present a unique class in the gallery for Geneva
College humanities students - and can do the same for you!!!!
</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=4></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial><FONT size=4>Thank you!</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=4></FONT> </DIV></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=4>Lynda McKinney Lambert, MFA<BR>Artist, Educator,
Author<BR>104 River Road, Ellwood City, PA 16117<BR><A
href="http://www.lyndalambert.com">http://www.lyndalambert.com</A></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=4>"Human beings are creatures who conceal an interior
of uncharted chaos which lies beneath the surface reality"James Baldwin, The
Creative Life (1962)</FONT></DIV>
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