Art & Spirituality

Up in the Sky
8 x 10
Oil Painting by Pat Fiorello


Yesterday, I was interviewed by Vanessa Lowry for her ongoing radio series "Art as Worship".  Vanessa is an author and is exploring the relationship between art & spirituality by interviewing a wide range of artists ( visual artists, writers, musicians etc..) with whatever their definition of spirituality is.

For me, I didn't approach the topic of spirituality from a traditional religious approach, but from the vantage point of the Human Spirit. I see 3 areas where art overlaps spirituality for me: appreciating, creating and connecting. Appreciating means noticing, valuing and being grateful for the beauty of the world around me and helping others to see that thru my paintings. Creating is the pure connection with the spirit, the energy and aliveness that is present when we are creating something whether we are creating a piece of art, music, a casserole or a spreadsheet. Whatever form creating shows up in your life I'm sure that's when you feel alive. The experience to start with nothing or just raw ingredients and soem inspiration and then creating something is true magic. Connecting is sharing the universal/eternal nature of art with others, as well as sharing with other artists and teaching others to grow  while on their own artistic journey.

To hear the full show, tune in on Thursday April 4 at 9
AM  on Empower Radio.  You can click "Listen Live" at that time or listen at your convenience from the archives after the show airs.

Here I am with Vanessa( right) after yesterday's taping.