On Sunday, September 21, Inner Harmony will be hosting a “Group Medium Reading and Paint Out Social” event. The event will take place from 2pm-5:30pm, being broken down into a 2pm-4pm intuitive group reading by Cheryl Kearns and Lacey Matthews of Inner Harmony, and will be followed by painting with Social Artist Sarah Dufner, owner of Paint Out Social in Springfield. Dufner noted this will be her second pairing with Inner Harmony (they collaborated for a July 2014 event in Springfield), and is liking the connection that she has with Kearns and Matthews. “I approached them,” said Dufner, “because we feel that I was pushed to contact them. Once we connected, there’s so much that I’ve gotten from it personally that I think that it was a message that was from a spirit to me…It’s made a great partnership. I think the three of us have a connection.” This “connection” is the base of what should be an expressive afternoon event.
Dufner defines her title of Social Artist by explaining that she is simply an artist that uses social medias and social settings for her mobile events – “I paint with people,” she said. She is a self-taught artist who works with sculpted plaster and acrylics. Her mixed media works combine spirals of vivid colors and textures, creating a “unique flow on canvas” and using painting as “therapy for the soul.” This event at Inner Harmony will be her 70th event and the month celebrates her first year anniversary.
For the first two hours, the group of up to 30 attendees will take part in the intuitive reading with Kearns and Matthews, allowing someone to use the time for “connecting with a loved one or to help someone currently dealing with a lot of emotions,” noted Matthews. Both Matthews and Kearns agree that following the reading with the 4pm-5:30pm painting portion of the event is a beneficial sequence for attendees, allowing them to get any emotions that might be clearer post-reading out on canvas – moreover, as attendees will take their artworks home, they will have a painted reminder of their release of bottled emotions.
Dufner says the event is for anyone; “It’s fun art, not fine art,” she smiled. Each attendee will be given a 8”x10” pre-plastered canvas, We’re going to take from our reading and our experience and emotions, and try to reflect that with paint on the canvas,” told Dufner. No artistic skill is needed – just an open mind. As opposed to her normally more step-by-step Paint Out Social events, this will be more “go with your feelings…and trying to paint your emotions,” said Dufner. “Each message comes across differently, and there’s going to be some people that will be so touched and just want to paint angels, while there will be other people who just want to add color,” realizes Dufner, adding that, “As an artist, I feel emotions come through in my art…(Kearns and Matthews) are helping me see things that were always there and now can come out. I think it’s a really good thing. It’s growth. The three of us really inspire others. I think they inspire people to really not be afraid to talk about their emotions, and then here I am as the guide to say put your emotions into art and be able to share them that way.”
RSVP by calling Inner Harmony at 217-245-1888, joining the “Group Medium Reading and Paint Out Social” event on Facebook, or – simply stop by Inner Harmony. However, guests must prepay the $60/person cost to reserve a guaranteed spot at the event on Sunday, September 21. “We’re excited,” said Dufner of the upcoming event – it’s a creative way to heal or simply explore emotions. Check out Dufner for her various social art party options at www.facebook.com/artistsarahdufner, as well.
