Cindy Meehan-Patton

Painter

I began painting in 2004 after a personal encounter with Jesus resulting in my salvation experience at age 40. For twenty years prior to this experience I walked in the wilderness of confusion seeking Truth in a life full of trials and tribulation. I dabbled in every religion and spiritual path available to man. One day, during a very difficult time in my life, while on my mountain bike, my whole life changed. That is why people often call salvation in Jesus a conversion. It really was and continues to be.

MI have lived with MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivities) and environmental allergies like mold for over 20 years now, but God has delivered me from many harmful things that I had taken on in my life. Painting is a big contributor to constructive changes in my mental and emotional health and at this point in my life it absolutely sings to my soul and makes me come alive as God told me it would. I have no formal training other than my youth, teen and young adult years of basic art classes, but the desire to create art has always been a part of my life and I have always loved to look at and study art.

My collegiate studies were in Interior Design and Architecture, thus my love of bright color. Artists who have been most inspiring to me over the years have been David Hockney, Vincent Van Gogh, Adolph Gottlieb and Mark Rothko. Artists who can evoke so much emotion through the use of color and shape fascinate me, captivate me.

Because of my sensitivities to indoor air quality toxins commonly found in buildings and artists materials, this has not been an easy path to pursue. I have to “suit up” in order to paint. I wear a full gas mask with respirator and 2 pairs of gloves which attracts strange looks from my dogs and husband- but always makes us laugh together! I always paint to music, it keeps me moving through the painting. Even with this mask and gloves, I can only paint for about 1.5 hours/ day – keeping any physical reactions to a minimum.

Soon after my road to Damascus experience with God, I began traveling to see my good friends in Florida to do healing ministry. During some of my sessions, the Lord brought me back several times to the idea of living a more creative life, the life He created me for. Dancing, painting, writing are all creative avenues that appeal to me and always have. He put those desires in my heart and is now asking me to return to them. I began getting inspiration in 2004 through a book study called “The Creative Call” by Janice Elsheimer.

A Christian artist recommended this interesting book to me just before I departed from one of my healing sessions. I created my first 3 paintings from this study and from then on painting has just been a pure source of excitement, joy and creative challenge in my life. It also draws me closer to God each time I paint and I can often feel His presence in the midst of my work. The title of my art business- Inspired Fractals -birthed from the book The Shack.

My art is inspired by folk, primitive and abstract styles- but most who see it agree that it is inspired. As I read the Bible, God gives me visions of how a painting might compose and off I go. All my pieces are one of a kind, so custom work is welcomed. If you like a piece in my current collection, but you have a vision that spins off of that piece, I welcome that challenge too. For more information visit www.inspiredfractals.com.