At Eyes Wide Open Center in Bonita Springs.
Wednesday, March 23 at 7 p.m.
RSVP (Free entrance but we request that you let us know you're coming since the seating is limited to 22 people).
A magical night - inspiration, reflection, joy!
THE PRESENTERS
Portrait painter: José María Castillo
Explore the relationship between art, life and spirituality with José.
Is art a meditative aid meant to reveal the transcendent or elevate consciousness?
Join portrait painter Jose Maria Castillo while he shares his own spiritual discoveries and reveals how in making a portrait there exists a learning process that parallels a spiritual path.
While engaging in a dialogue with the audience, Jose Maria will demonstrate how approaching a volunteer model without judgment, resembles the way that in life we must learn to drop judgment and accept what is. Also, as he is adding painting to the canvas he will be demonstrating othe commonalities he sees in art and spirituality.
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Bio:
Jose Maria attended the National School of Fine Arts in Lima, Perú. He lived in New York City in the 70s where he succeeded as a fashion illustrator for exclusive boutiques and stores and found his career as a portrait painter. In Puerto Rico, José María worked as an art instructor at the Sacred Heart University, while also offering private classes. He is a permanent resident in Naples since 1997 where he paints portraits by commission, offers private classes and works as an art instructor at the Von Liebig Art Center.
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Singer, songwriter and author: Carlene Thissen
Writing books came first, and led to writing music.
Carlene has been re-inventing herself as a performer. She will share with us songs and stories about Woodstock (remember Woodstock 1969?) - songs of the 1960s and 1970s - and some originals about Immokalee that reflect the same soft rock style. Her voice, style and lyrics were heavily influenced by Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan. As in a line from one of her original songs, "She just wants to go back there again." At the Galleria soiree, she will take you back with her.
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Bio:
Carlene's love of the agricultural town of Immokalee, (rhymes with broccoli) Florida, and its immigrant population inspired two books: Immokalee’s Fields of Hope and Called From Silence: The Father Sanders Novel, and much of her music (Books will be available at the center).
When a song was needed for a video based on Immokalee’s Fields of Hope, Carlene wrote “Take These Hands.” Since then she has dedicated herself to songwriting and performing. That is, in addition to her part-time job as Coordinator of a Farm Labor Supervisor training program at the University of FL in Immokalee.
Originally from New Jersey, Carlene spent 30 years in a successful business career in supermarket marketing technology, and then turned more seriously to her lifelong love of music.
Her greatest joy is singing – folk, country, religious, light rock, a little blues, and classical. She sings in the choir at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Immokalee and is a regular feature at venues in Naples. She also plays piano and guitar at parties and charity dinners, and was a founding member of the Ft. Myers-based Americana Community Music Association.
A member of the Global Songwriter’s Connection Association, Carlene also visits Nashville several times a year to perform in singer/songwriter rounds, waiting for that one big hit!
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