Renaissance Series 2021- 2022
Rebound 63x67inch Oil on Canvas Covid changed everybody. We Rebounded, galvanized by every piece of news with corresponding highs and lows. Yet despite the upheaval, there was still an undercurrent of optimism I chose to connect with. Though I struggled to push the boulder uphill, letting the rock flatten me on its way back down […]
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Recovery: painting with the pandemic 2020-2022
The world has changed everybody ever since some socially inept virus crashed the party. We have gone up and down galvanized by every piece of news with knee-jerk reactions of highs and lows. Yet despite the upheaval, there is a still an undercurrent of optimism I choose to connect with. I may be struggling […]
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Art Diplomacy- Beyond Boundaries
When offered the possibility to soothe fractured souls by leading art workshops for Ukrainian refugees, I just said yes! It seemed like a tiny tangible service I could offer for those escaping the war. I envisioned giving art supplies to children so they would have something to do while their mothers tried to sort […]
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Feeling stressed or anxious? Reach for a pencil or paintbrush instead of your smartphone.
By Carin Knoop & Bahia El Oddi “Making art allows the lava of emotions pent-up inside of me to flow out slowly, avoiding an eruption. I fear that if people don’t express themselves creatively, all the natural frustrations of life will boil up and burst out uncontrollably, with less-than-ideal repercussions.” — Gregory Burns Many of […]
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Olympic Agora 2020-2021
I was extremely honored to be chosen as an artist for the first-ever Olympic Agora commemorating the cultural aspect of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Orchestrated by the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage (OFCH), the program took place from 1 July to 15 August 2021 throughout Tokyo’s historic Nihonbashi district. The Olympic Agora featured […]
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Heavy Lifting
Graduating from college, my first job was at the Colorado Outdoor Education Center for the Handicapped. Though I’d hoped to mentor young people with physical disabilities on how to navigate and appreciate nature, the majority of our students were those with intellectual challenges. In my first week on the job, I recall a teenage man […]
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2022 Beijing Olympics
As the Olympic flame goes out in Beijing, I celebrate the men and woman who have raised the bar and our collective spirits. Complaining about the Olympics is an easy sport, as so poignantly highlighted in the 1910 speech of Theodore Roosevelt, “It is not the critic who counts… the credit belongs to the man […]
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Raising the Bar
Facing tectonic shifts in emotion and fate, athletes competing in the Olympics experience extreme highs and lows as they dig deep at the pinnacle of sports. Minuscule mistakes divide the pack between those who achieve the podium and disappointment. Yet, win loose or draw, these athletes inspire the rest of us. We draw strength watching […]
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Fourth
Everybody loves a winner! The world showers gold and praise on those who come in first. Even the runner up receives silver and sponsorship deals. And we still cheer and bestow bronze on those who come in third. What then is left for fourth place? During my Paralympic swimming career, I had the pleasure and […]
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Aiming 4 Paris 2024
The Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games have come and now gone. Despite the pandemic and empty venues, records were set and there was victory on and off the field of play. Athletes and organizers threw the kitchen sink into their efforts to outdo themselves once again. As the flag is now passed to the Mayor […]
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