Art Lives at Unity Church

Art provides another medium through which human beings experience gifts of the spirit. Response to a work of art may be on intense, profound levels. As with poetry or literature, theatre, dance or music, the visual arts provide meditative and emotional opportunities and appreciation of life's process, our cultures and society. Unity's Art Team serves the congregation by hosting exhibits in our Parish Hall gallery, cataloging and sharing information about Unity's extensive art collection, and inviting the congregation into art appreciation through various events and learning opportunities. For more information about the work of Unity's Art Team, please email artteam@unityunitarian.org.

October Parish Hall Artists

oil painting of two faces looking at each other, mouth to mouth

Tell Me Something Good by Anna Karena

Anna Karena
My daily art sessions intersect with contemplating the universal questions: Who am I and why am I here? It is a dialogue between the canvas and me, much like tango with its intimate call and response “conversation.”
Working with a vibrant palette of acrylic paints and inks, I approach the canvas with no plan or idea in mind; I work intuitively, making marks or spreading paint randomly. Soon I am in the dance, moving and responding to each new mark and color until I begin to see a direction emerge. Once I see what the canvas suggests, a plan begins to form and I simply follow through. By staying open and present, the painting process is easy and natural. If I start to impose my will on the canvas, however, the dance becomes forced and contrived and the art looks inauthentic or clichéd.

My work is about self-discovery without judgment, and it involves vulnerability. I post my daily painting progress on social media, which exposes my process — and me — before the work is finished. This process engages viewers and invites them to interpret what they see, to relate to it, to comment on it, maybe even to become attached to certain images or nuances. Often, the painting will change, perhaps even completely, and as such; everyone who participates can experience the transformative process of letting go of the outcome or any part of the process. It’s a journey we all take together.

This path of self-discovery has been an awakening of my spirit with the ability to recognize and respond to the spoken and unspoken messages I receive and am bombarded with daily. I am struck by all the messages of what female beauty is or is not and the ways body shaming can occur in our culture, amongst others. Like my art, each person is a composite of many layers of meaning, and for the most part we only see is the most recent layer.

The creative process I’ve chosen keeps my art honest, true, and authentic. The resulting work signifies a process to self-acceptance and inner peace. I invite you to view my work with an open heart and mind, allowing it to fill you, as you too, find your steps in the dance of self-discovery and acceptance.

Fish with a Fire Within by Layl McDill

Layl McDill
“A long time ago in a kitchen in Wichita, Texas, a young mother mixed up another batch of homemade play dough. She made all the colors for her freckle faced daughter and when her daughter rolled and squished this salty substance something magical happened — she began to turn into an artist.”

And that is my origin story. Stories help us make sense of our world and help us connect with others. My polymer clay sculptures are filled with the sensation of story. When people engage with my work I am often asked “What is this from?” because my work seems like it’s derived from fables or myths. But soon they realize the stories are all fresh and just a little off kilter. They make sense but it’s actually total nonsense like my piece “Sometimes chickens drive tractors over the clothesline.” Most of us can relate to a day like that! But it sure does make a great story.

I have also recently started a series of sculptures based on elements of story. One of which is “There were even Windows in the Clouds — Chapters of Childhood.” I wanted to play with creating visualization of chapters by making different scenes on each shelf of the piece. I also examined the story structure of the Hero’s Journey in the the “Infinite Story Generator.” This piece invites the viewer to imagine a character leaving their domestic existence (symbolized by a grid of many different domestic “reasons” someone might adventure out). The story flows into forests and seas and even a cave of riddles until ending at a castle — or is it the end?

The magical technique of millefiori also has a fascinating origin story. The Egyptian‘s developed the process to put tiny images into rods of glass called canes. I have created my own form of this technique with polymer clay so I can create my pallet of pictures which cover all my pieces.

Just as stories give the feeling of impending surprise my work holds many hidden treasures. I will often see a dad pointing out the tiny dogs hidden on one of my teapots or a grand kid asking grandma if she can find the particular animals. I don’t even know all the things hidden in my work!

Stories have been a theme in my work since I began my career in 1993. I’ve created pieces with full stories built into my work and pieces that just carry elements of life’s narratives. I have also explored storytelling as a performer and as a way to engage with others. Stories are such an elemental part of our existence and I hope to create art that expresses this and leads to the creation of more stories.