Timeless Reflections Vol II: The Beauty Of Perseverance

Cover Art And Editing

By Diamante

Lavendar

Hardships and difficulties in life are inevitable. The only way we can help ourselves to find our way through is to look for inspiration, hope through our spiritual beliefs, and guidance from those who have gone before us.

This volume of Timeless Reflections is dedicated to being a help for those who are in need of inspiration. Through the art and experiences of the wonderful contributors within these pages, it is my hope that readers will be able to connect to a sense of peace, hope, purpose, and understanding.

It is true that being able to identify with others who have walked difficult paths before us can be extremely helpful in healing and coming to terms with things that we weren’t expecting to have to experience or survive. Life can be tough, even excruciating at times, but know that you aren’t alone. With faith, patience, and perseverance, you can overcome what you are facing.

So much can be said for camaraderie and empathy when we are faced with a situation in which the only appropriate reaction is to persevere and continue on. May you find that companionship here. And may you find respite for your soul.

Enjoy and be blessed!

Whenever I Decide by Bijaya Sharma

What I seek to convey with my artwork is to follow your inner truth. It is so important not to base your worth on societal norms or worldly ways. Don’t worry about external appearances, judgmental comments, or prejudices. There are subliminal expectations, words said and unsaid, and implied gestures that cut deeply. They leave emotional scars and create mental pitfalls that are difficult to navigate, particularly when coming from friends and family.

Go where your heart leads you, even when you are labeled as the “black sheep”. Approvals and permissions can be tough to come by, but follow your dreams. Adhering to conventional standards can feel like fighting an uphill battle when your dreams call you to new places and experiences. It is ironic but true that worldly standards often don’t bring you to a place of peace and contentment. It is always a sense of looking for more-more success, more money, and more associations. You are constantly being judged but also learning to judge and criticize others in order to climb the “ladder of success”.

When you find your True North, those in the world become envious. They wonder how you got the strength to follow your own path, to break the pattern, to break out of the loop of generational trauma. It is through perseverance of your truth that you are able to make this happen. Those that judge you are really judging themselves, regretting not being able to have the freedom you have chosen, despite the challenges.

Putting ourselves first-choosing from the heart, wearing what we want to regardless of our age, dancing to our own drummer-is disconcerting to a world that thrives on judgment. Putting ourselves first is never at the cost of causing harm to another. It is just something we must choose to do for our highest good with no intent to harm anyone or anything. Science, nature, art, philosophy, theology-will tell you that true beauty emerges out of constant energy. Stagnancy is death.

Therefore, in my art, I wish to convey that it is my decision to see beauty on my terms. Accepting different versions of things is what makes the world beautiful. What if there were only red flowers? Would that be beautiful? Would that be order? What if there was only one type of “happiness” in the world? Would we not become evil and discontent trying to sustain that certain state of mind forever?

Art, for me, has always been a way to stay centered in the midst of chaos. Whether it be writing, painting, drawing, or singing, it has been a way to escape the tyranny of judgment. For me, the compass and purpose of life is this: how well do you understand yourself? How committed are you to finding your life purpose on this planet? How well have you learned to stay connected to the world around you and not attached? How passionately do you want to find your relationship with the Universe, the Source-whatever you call it? How deeply do you understand that the type of energy you put out comes back to you? How mindful are we of that concept when we judge others?

There isn’t an act more violent than making someone feel they aren’t deserving or capable. Are we willing to look past wanting validation from others in order to see that what we really need is validation from ourselves and the Source of all life? That is beauty-when you accept your scars, your bruises, and come to see the beauty within. When you realize that the world is what you make it. The story is yours. You are the co-creator with the Universe. It’s your journey to accept yourself and follow your heart, whenever and however you decide to.

A Warrior’s Declaration by Diamante Lavendar

What Persistence Has Meant To Me

Because of the focus on perseverance in this volume of the magazine, I decided to share a very short version of my story. I truly feel as though I have lived numerous lifetimes within my lifetime. I’ve had to persevere through each one to get to the next. It hasn’t been easy by a long shot. But I’ve learned a lot during my life on this planet.

I endured a very abusive childhood in which I couldn’t rely on clear, consistent help from adults. I learned to rely on myself and my strength to survive. It was confusing, emotionally excruciating, and I felt abandoned and alone. As I got older, I turned to substances to numb the pain. One substance led to another and soon I was addicted to drugs and an alcoholic. Living in that state of mind and body caused me to do a lot of things that I regret and it also caused me to make a lot of bad decisions. I felt like I was tainted, meant to live on a roller coaster of anger, depression, and anxiety forever. And I truly believed that I was. I stayed in that frame of mind for over ten years.

Unfortunately, tragedy struck and I had to bury my firstborn child on the tail end of that phase. That was what turned me to God and began to change my belief about who I was. I wish I could say it was all uphill from there, but it wasn’t. Every day was a battle to get better. But I persevered. After another fifteen years I was in a pretty good place. I was married, had several children, and was pretty happy with my life. Fast forward another ten years and I had buried another child.

It hasn’t been easy. It’s been really hard. After losses like that, relationships change-some for the better, some not. And stress takes a toll on the body and mind. Now I’m finding myself battling health issues I could have never imagined that I would have. But good has come of everything. I’m closer to God, I’m healing in ways I didn’t even know that I needed to, and I’m finding new truths about existing on this physical plane known as Earth. It is true. There is always a silver lining.

This is a very glossed-over version of my life, but my point is this: I’ve really had to persevere. And be strong. And stay tough through it all. I’ve had to find beauty where I couldn’t imagine it existed and I have grown so much because of that. Life is hard for everyone. Sometimes we have to look under rock after rock until we find a gemstone worth keeping. But in the end, everything steers us to a point and a reason. So if you are in a hard season, don’t let it destroy you. Stay determined and persevere because it will get better and you will become a better person for having gone through it!

I Will Overcome by Cindy Newby

Rise

I may be here, but I'm not truly alive, But through the darkness, I can see a light; I'm just a shell, barely getting by, I hear Jesus calling, telling me to rise.

I've been through some storms, and I've weathered quite a few, People say I'm strong, but if they only knew, All the pain I carry, the despair that's always near, They'd understand the truth, that I'm only partly here.

I've been searching for a reason to keep going on, In this world full of chaos, where I don't belong; With every prayer I whisper, I know He hears my cry, Ready to lift me up, bring me back to life.

As I lay my burdens down at the foot of the cross, The chains that held me captive are suddenly unlocked; I feel the love and mercy only He can provide, No longer just a shell, I'm alive and revived!

No more hiding in the shadows, no more empty tears, For the Lord, my Savior, has conquered all my fears; Through His loving grace, I'm more than just a shell, I'm a living testimony of the power in His name!

Solar Partners by Corey Mineo

Through Perseverance And Adaptation, I Became An Artist

Becoming an artist was quite a process for me. I have Muscular Dystrophy: Charcot Marie-Tooth 2A. In a nutshell, I have a neurological disease that does not allow signals from my brain to reach my legs or arms in regard to movement and sensation. I have been in a power wheelchair since 7th grade and have not been able to walk since 2nd grade. The disease is a progressive one that usually tapers off in your early 30s. So I have to create art with only my right hand and a mouse.

When I was younger, I was able to use a pencil and draw a little bit. My fine motor skills would not allow me to draw what I envisioned. As time progressed, by the age of 13, I was unable to hold any type of artistic tool. I didn’t think too much about it because I usually move on if there is a task that is not absolutely necessary to master. So, for 22 years, I didn’t really create any type of art and convinced myself that I was just not artistically inclined.

As I went off to college, I had to figure out a way to use my flip phone so I could live independently and safely. I started to design a phone holder that would attach to the side of my joystick box on my power wheelchair. I needed to be able to access my phone so it would lay parallel to the ground. I created different mechanisms beginning with a dork hinge and lots of duct tape and Velcro. It became my ambition to 3D print an object that would wrap around my joystick box with Velcro to hold my cell phone permanently upright. By this time the iPhone was in full swing and that is what I had.

The 3D software that I created my object from was called 123 Design. It is a rudimentary program that uses basic shapes and accurate measurements to make 3D products. After accomplishing my phone holder, I decided to embark on printing a 3D owl. But something was wrong. I still wasn’t able to create what I envisioned in my head. Then one of my good friends suggested I use the program Blender and everything changed! I was finally able to create what I saw in my mind. I could make everything I wanted to and I could also challenge myself and have no limitations. So, after realizing that my laptop was a pile of junk, I quickly upgraded to a high-end computer that allows me to do everything! I never thought of myself as creative, but now I realize that not only am I creative in my ability to adapt to anything life throws at me, but I’m also a very creative artist!

The artwork that I chose, Solar Partners, is a representation of adaptability and perseverance. Dolphins are mammals that live in the ocean. They are remarkable creatures that have learned to survive in extreme conditions. Dolphins only sleep 30 seconds at a time because they live in such a dangerous environment. Newborns sometimes don’t sleep for an entire month after birth so that they can stay safe from predators in the ocean which surround them at all times.

I also chose this piece because everyone and everything needs community in order to live prosperous, fulfilling lives. Friends, family, and even strangers make it possible for everyone to adapt, persevere, and thrive in the world. I would not have known about my abilities without my friends. I never saw myself being an artist. But my friends and family guided me to where I am now. The Solar Partners is a representation of perseverance, love and adaptability.

Inner Strength by Carolyn LeGrand

The Story Behind Inner Strength

On the lower right side of the painting, there is a little girl who is afraid to come out of the dark. She sits on the first step of a staircase and is curious as to what the next step would bring.

The girl decides to begin climbing the staircase to see where it leads her. Up she climbs until she reaches the staircase halfway. Her body freezes as she hears the ghosts of the past calling her, beckoning her to go back down to where she began. Whispers of lies about who she is and what she can’t do call to her. The choice to move forward or believe in the lies confronts her. She must go on, though she doesn’t know what she will find or who she will become.

The girl continues. Towards the top, she feels warmth moving into her heart. She sees the smile of a spirit guide and in that moment she feels safe and loved. The ghosts of the past melt into the darkness and she feels a deep connection in her inner being-a connection to who she is and who she always was. Her being fills with courage, confidence, intelligence, beauty, and creativity.

Her spirit guide tells her to never give up, no matter what she has to face. The girl realizes that each step she has taken has been a decision that she has made which has created her own, unique, authentic life-a life of freedom to be the person she was always meant to be.

This work is a celebration of perseverance and serves as a visual representation that if you never give up, you will succeed in what you were born to do. Take action, have courage, and never, ever give up!

Inner Truth by Diamante Lavendar

Persevere In Achieving Your Dreams

Life is a process. Sometimes we don’t know how to proceed. Chance and change are often seen as “wild cards”. But chance and change are opportunities to make decisions, which we always learn from regardless of what decision we decide to make.

Life is all about learning and growing. It’s a beautiful dance we partake in, even through tragedy, because tragedy always teaches us valuable lessons. Though tragedy is hard, if you believe in fate, destiny, and higher purpose, even tragedy can bring good through new perspectives and understandings.

We are never alone even when we are lonely. We can soar with Spirit without ever leaving home, opening a door, or picking up a phone. Possibilities are always around us. We must just believe in them so we can truly see. Wisdom and insight comes from a realm all around us which also lives in us. It is a magical place and it’s always available. All you need to do is believe and you will find it. It’s as simple as having the faith of a child.

This beautiful place is a place of miracles, a place of explanations, and a place of understanding. It is a place of hope and love, peace and joy. It is a place where anyone can go and be seen and heard. It’s a place that helps you to learn how to live, to hope, to dream, and to know who you truly are. You were fearfully and wonderfully made. You were created to seek your destiny and to fight to make it a reality.

Never give up, never quit, never think you’re not good enough. You were born with a unique set of fingerprints for a reason and you were given talents to use for good. Persevere in your dreams until you learn how to fly! Only you can do what you were made to do!

Finding Peace With My Story

When you go through the depth of despair and experience the horror of hopelessness and pain, you can either succumb and give up or you can climb out of the abyss and start living.

Rising From The Ashes was created years ago when I was working on my own biography and I was actually looking forward to finally pulling it all together. I have kept journals of my life, but as I read my notes, I had to stop and take a deep breath.

My entire life rolled in front of my eyes, starting with my life during World War II in Germany. I remembered living in the rubble of the ruins of our house; hunger, rats, and winter coats sewn out of discarded army blankets found in the ashes of what once had been our happy home. I had lost a child and a husband. Tragedy had no end.

I have lived and moved 49 times in my life and have experienced unspeakable horror and cruelty. The years were hard because of family issues, job related issues, and other personal traumas. People have asked me, “How did you manage to keep persevering?” The tears did not lessen nor did the pain, but the human body lives on and on.

You learn to push the memories out of your heart and start clinging to hope. And with each day this hope grows stronger, at least on the outside. Then after a while, you realize that the wrenching ache in your soul has lessened and you feel the sunshine on your face and thank God for his help. Once you know His strength, and the fact that He will never leave you, you realize you will not just survive but that you can also thrive. Because He is all you have and everything you need until the very end of your trials and tribulations in this present life. With Him, all things are possible, even healing from intense trauma and agony.

Hanoi Taxi by Angela Brunson

My Father’s Faith Brought Him Home

My dad, Cecil Brunson, thought he was invincible, like John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart-his heroes on TV. So when he went to fight in Vietnam at the age of 24 as a weapon system operator, he was sure that he would be fine. But when he got there, he discovered that war was cold and heartless, full of cruelty and hatred.

During his tour in Vietnam, he flew every kind of mission imaginable—dropping bombs, dropping napalm, strafing with troops in contact, MiGCAP, BARCAP, SARCAP, Hunter-Killer missions, Wild Weasel missions, Fast FAC missions, night gunship escort missions, and more. He completed 160 missions and was credited with one MiG-19 kill over North Vietnam, increasing his confidence in his invulnerability, but that confidence would be shattered on October 12th, 1972.

My dad assumed it was just another day, another normal mission over North Vietnam. However, this day was different, and it would change his life forever. As the bombers started their turn to exit over the Gulf of Tonkin, he looked up and saw two MiG-21 fighters coming down on him from his 10 o'clock high. He reversed his turn to engage the MiGs in combat. He was mere seconds away from firing on the two enemy fighters when a third MiG-21 entered the fight and fired a missile that impacted his plane.

He ejected over hostile land dotted with villages. He knew that rescue was impossible in that location because it was too dangerous, so it was up to him to make it to the coastline north of Haiphong, just south of the Chinese border. He found a small valley covered with tall grass, dropped to the ground, pulled the grass up around himself, and waited. Within minutes, angry villagers swarmed over him, hitting and kicking him, beating him with rifle butts and bamboo rods. He was barely conscious when some North Vietnamese troops arrived and pulled the people off him. The soldiers sliced off his clothes with a machete. A bamboo pole was shoved into his arms and his wrists and elbows were tied together behind him. As they marched him to a nearby village, hundreds of people were lined up all along the way to see the captured American. The villagers continued to spit on him and pull his hair while hitting him with bamboo rods and the broadside of machete blades. He began to doubt that he would survive the day.

After his capture, my father was kept in two facilities: the Hanoi Hilton (Hoa Lo) and the Zoo (Cu Loc). He was detained for 5 ½ months in miserable conditions. At the Hanoi Hilton, the walls were about twelve feet tall, with the top three feet embedded with large shards of broken glass. Triple strands of concertina wire topped the walls, and what appeared to be electrified wire ran through the middle. He was placed in solitary confinement. His cell was a ten-foot square concrete room with an iron door on the front and a window with bars on the back. He had two wooden boards on the floor for a bed, and a three-gallon can across the room for a toilet. A single, solitary lightbulb dangled from a wire in the middle of the ceiling. At the Zoo, bombing was happening every night and getting more and more ferocious-the heaving of the ground, the tremendous noise, the SAMs going off, the AAA being fired. On one particular night, the 23rd of December, the bombing was so intense that the POWs feared it would be their last night. As they sat in their cells, they began to sing “The Lord's Prayer.” While they sang this praise song, God did an amazing thing for Cecil. He recalls, “It’s almost like He pushed the mute button on all the sound around me, all the commotion, all the confusion. It was just me and God right there.” That night, he rededicated his life to Jesus Christ and he knew that if anything happened to him, he was going to spend eternity with his Lord and Savior. My father endured beatings and interrogations but he knew he was never alone. God reminded him of a scripture he knew as a child-the 23rd Psalm. And God comforted him, walking with him every day.

Finally, on March 29, 1973, my father was released. He was taken to Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines for debriefing and medical treatment, then went through Hawaii and Illinois before arriving home in Memphis. He was briefly hospitalized at Travis Air Force Base in California to recover from his injuries, but my mom was with him then. He came home to a loving family and a nation that greeted him with open arms. When asked how he survived his time in Hanoi, he quickly answers, “God brought me home.”

My father has always been my hero, and his experience inspired me to write my doctoral dissertation on the POWs in Vietnam. After interviewing numerous survivors, I found that they all shared an incredible faith in God, America, their families, and each other. Just like my dad, they all claimed that faith is the reason they made it home. They also acknowledge that music made it easier to survive, most of them remembering specific songs that saved them from despair. They preach faith, patriotism, and gratefulness to anyone who will listen.

Therefore, my painting depicts the ultimate perseverance. Some of the American prisoners of war in Vietnam spent up to 9 years in the worst conditions imaginable. They survived starvation, disease, torture, solitary confinement, and hopelessness because they kept faith that they would soon experience their day of freedom. Every time my father tells the story of the day he came home, everyone is in tears.

Kiva Ladder by Alan and Marcia Socolik

Balm For The Weary by Bonnie Marie

Beauty

Beauty is as beauty does, I hear the scholars say; For outward beauty only lasts, as it were, a day.

A lovely flower blooms but once, and then so quickly dies; But the tiny seeds that fall create many more besides!

People are as people do, I hear the wise men say; For speaking is only as the wind that blows away.

Tis' some truth.... Yet nay!

Every word just like a flower, though it seems to die, Leaves many tiny seeds of thought to grow and multiply.

If truth, then may we bloom so sweetly that our seeds may fall; To create many lovely blossoms, weaving beauty through life's all.

Memory by Elaine Sonne

Honoring Our Dance With Our Memories

Our faces tell a story. Of nostalgia, longing, and in this case, memories that transcend time and space.

I have danced with the memory of my husband and soulmate a thousand times since he passed away. I think others who have lost loved ones do the same. I wanted an art piece that honored our dance with our memories. The background words represented all our conversations and impressions that linger in the recesses of our mind and heart. They sustain us. The pictures are actually of me. I put them in an app and then tweaked and blended them with the background. Then I added the script.

I hoped people would look at this art and reflect on the unpredictability of time. I hoped they would treasure the present moments. And know that love sustains us. Memories sustain us, for a thousand dances and beyond.

The Pathway by Sharon W

Finding The Pathway To Light

I am from the freedom of childhood, Where what I have learned Has made me Who I am;

I am from the love And security My parents instilled in me, Where the light of this love Blinds me beautiful In its glorious truth;

I am from trust And honor, Wisely taught And handed down;

I am from The miracle of life That holds me sacred And teaches me Every day;

I am from Compassion and respect, Whose bold colors Nurture and flower In my soul;

I am from dreamsStardust Brilliant and embedded Within the foundation Of my spirit;

I am from mystery, Powerful and almighty, Where gratitude and awe Inspire and ignite My every day;

This is my foundation and essence; It is key To finding the pathway to light; When I stumble and fall And all grows dim On this often difficult And confusing journey.

Visitation From Heaven by Cynthia Sheffield

The Story Behind My Work, Visitation From Heaven

My friend has a child who was born with multiple handicaps-he can’t speak and he has mobile difficulties. He uses a computer to communicate and he also uses gestures that his family understands. He has a wheelchair so that he is able to move around. Since the day he was born, my friend was his primary caregiver. It is very difficult for her, especially because she has diabetes. Her son is 18 years old now and still needs constant daily care.

My friend lives in a very poverty-stricken area of West Virginia which does not help with her son’s special needs so every day is a struggle. Over the years she and I bonded as we shared our faith with each other and our mutual empathy over having disabled children. I have a son with Cystic Fibrosis who has lived to the age of 40, which is a miracle in itself. So we would build each other up when we got weak and tired.

My friend shared with me that one day while sitting on her porch, she asked, “'God do you even care?” She heard Him answer in an audible voice, “Yes, I care.” She said that was the only time she had ever heard the audible voice of God. So she knew He was with her and that she wasn’t alone in the struggle. We both knew, since we believed and relied on His love and strength to get through each day.

In the West Virginia mountains, it is not uncommon for people to see orphaned fawns. At one point, my friend took one in and cared for it, feeding it goat milk when it was hungry. The fawn became fond of her son and daughter. The day that the visitation occurred, the fawn was outside where my friend had sat her son down in the grass to enjoy the sunshine. She noticed that light began shining down very brightly on her son so she instinctively grabbed her camera. Just as she captured the moment, the fawn kissed her son on the cheek. He didn’t like the feeling, so he shielded his face from the kiss. She knew it was a visitation from the Holy Spirit so she couldn’t wait to show me the picture. When I saw it, I knew it had been a visitation and I asked if I could paint the image in the photo. She agreed, and that is how this painting came to be! I had the original painting sent to her as a gift. It was a glorious moment captured in time by her camera and an inspiration to all who are struggling. Never give up because you aren’t alone! You are loved and cherished! Jesus said, 'You have kept my patience.' I wondered what that word meant and just recently learned that to keep Jesus’ patience means to persevere!

Afterthoughts

So much can be said for being patient with ourselves and having compassion and empathy towards ourselves in regard to what we are facing in life. Even attempting to find gratitude in the toughest situations can greatly decrease mental and physical anguish. So much can be accomplished through a change in perception of how we care for and view ourselves in regard to the pain we are facing. And the concern and empathy from those we know is invaluable in being able to process and grow from our experiences.

When it comes down to living a successful life, perseverance and patience are the bottom line. Nothing worthwhile comes easily, and that includes overcoming all the trials that life has to offer. Everybody’s life is a unique story, as diversified as every one of our individual set of fingerprints. What success is for one may not be success for another.

Compassion and empathy are so important. We can learn so much from each other and start a positive trend toward change simply by acknowledging each other’s experiences and perspectives. It is my hope that this magazine could start a dialogue in that direction. Unity is key to relevant and lasting change!

Contributors

(listed in alphabetical order)

Angela Brunson-Dr. Angela Brunson discovered a love and surprise talent for painting during the original Covid-19 quarantine, mere months before she completed her PhD in Musicology. As interest in her artwork grew, she changed course and became a full-time artist. She specializes in animals and nature, always finding beauty that she must put on a canvas. She strives to convey emotion which connects with the soul. She favors bold, vibrant colors and dramatic scenes. From oceans and sunsets to distant galaxies, the splendor of creation supplies her with constant inspiration. She offers paintings in acrylics, watercolors, and epoxy resin. Her work can be found on Fine Art America.

Diamante Lavendar-Diamante Lavendar is an inspirational author and artist. She has published three award-winning books related to healing from trauma and abuse. She also creates mixed media art that has been exhibited in many online and brick-and-mortar exhibitions. Her art has been recognized in numerous competitions and has received many awards. Her comprehensive website can be viewed at www.diamantelavendar.com.

Carolyn LeGrand-With color and symbolism, Carolyn paints issues pertinent to being human: transformation, enlightenment, pain, pleasure, life, and death. She strives to portray the courage and growth it takes to move through the obstacles and triumphs of living on this earth. She started to paint at a very early age as a way to express herself. Her artwork is Expressionism. This is the way she has always communicated what is deeply personal to her. She resides in Oregon, on the coast. She finds it a beautiful place to communicate with nature, walk the beaches, and be one with the Universe. Carolyn’s work can be viewed on Fine Art America.

Bonnie Marie-Bonnie is a modern impressionist painter with figurative abstraction thrown in. She is a poet who tells stories with art. Bonnie began mixing media when she was very young. Presently, she uses photos, watercolor pencils, acrylic paints, and drawing, which she combines through digital formats. Bonnie has had her work shown in various locations around Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe, San Diego, Laguna CA. coastal areas, and Solana Beach. Her work has also been shown at the Boulder City Art Guild and the Henderson Convention Center close to where she is now living in Henderson, Nevada. Bonnie’s work can be viewed on Fine Art America.

Corey Mineo-Corey has been making digital art since March 2022. He enjoys expressing himself artistically through Blender and 123 Design. Corey creates beautiful nature and underwater scenery and lives in Glenwood Springs, Co. Corey’s work can be viewed on Fine Art America.

Cindy Newby-Cindy started painting in acrylics in 2015, the year her father died and her mother had to be moved out of town to a dementia care facility. She was introduced to painting by an art therapist and finds painting very relaxing. She works full-time, so she really enjoys the time she is able to spend on her art. She enjoys painting animals and abstract pieces the most. She also creates digital art/AI art. Her work can be viewed on Fine Art America under Cindy’s Creative Corner.

Sabina Pamfili-Sabina was born in Germany with Polish roots. She studied in England and has lived in many interesting countries around the world. Sabina's artwork serves as a window into her inner world: a blend of her personal experiences, emotions, and perceptions. Her unique ability to capture fleeting moments infuses her canvases with vitality. Her paintings often transport viewers into dreamlike realms, evoking introspection and contemplation. Sabina’s art is a combination of mixed media and abstract expressionism. Sabina’s work can be viewed on Fine Art America.

Bijaya Sharma-Bijaya lives in Uttar Pradesh, India. She draws, writes, and sings when she feels she must. Her art is created during those moments. She began creating to come to terms with a loss. Creativity is how she deals with life, whether it be through singing, drawing, gardening, or writing. Creativity helps her to stay centered in the middle of life’s storms; to stay true to herself and life around her. Bijaya’s work can be viewed on Fine Art America.

Cynthia Sheffield-Cynthia lives in Boiling Springs, SC. Cynthia started drawing at age 6 and began her journey with acrylics on canvas as a teenager. Cynthia is a grandmother of three and knows that her art is a spiritual gift. She paints what inspires her, trying to bring joy back into life, knowing that we all need beauty. Cynthia’s work can be found on Fine Art America.

Alan and Marcia Socolik-Alan and Marcia, Nevada residents, are avid photographers. Alan takes many photos while hiking around the area – you will see some of his dramatic landscape photos in their portfolio. Marcia looks at things from a different perspective – her photos are usually still life or photos of objects that she finds interesting or unique. Together, they present an eclectic display of photos which you can see on Fine Art America.

Elaine Sonne-Elaine lives in Desert Hot Springs, CA. Elaine is a very talented digital artist with a beautiful portfolio of whimsical pieces, ranging from representational art to abstract art. You can view her work on Fine Art America.

Sharon W-Sharon is a self taught photographer living in the northeast area of the United States. Sharon has a beautiful portfolio of colorful nature photographs, engaging portraits, and lovely spiritual pieces. Her work can be viewed on Fine Art America.