December 18, 2009, 2:24 pm

Talese Heckler is professional artist, designer and teacher in Seattle. She’s also been a friend to Art with Heart for several years. She recently decided that in 2010, she wants to give 10% of all proceeds from her “Heart Art” series sales to help the efforts of Art with Heart.

We had a chance for some Q&A with Talese and here is what she had to say:

How did you get involved with Art with Heart?

I met Steffanie (the founder) about 6 years ago at a holiday dinner. Since our first meeting, we’ve run into each other at various times – I was a co-captain at the breakfast and have donated a percentage of my sales in the past. After a while, I began to feel like a fair-weather friend and wanted to do something more routinely, which is how I decided to donate a percentage of sales in 2010.

Why did you choose Art with Heart as the beneficiary?

Their work has so much integrity and passion, and I have been lucky to see the organization grow and get stronger each year. I wanted to support the misson – what Steffanie is doing is so fabulous. The idea of giving back to support the community – especially youth – is really a team effort. Anything I can do to foster that is beneficial.

In your own experience, do you see that the use of art can be therapeutic?

Absolutely – any time you are experiencing, producing or learning about art, there is a natural connection with yourself. My own personal teaching style is to first create a safe space for the artist, then provide guidance and support to help them go deeper into areas of their inner self to help them connect and heal.

Are you planning more hearts to add to the series?

Oh, yes! I’m always painting hearts. Its an ongoing series of mixed media – I use fabrics, found objects and wire in addition to the paintings.

If people want to see or purchase your artwork, what should they do?

There will be a February launch for the Hearts series at my studio in West Seattle and I’m planning a show in Queen Anne for the early spring. Also, I have various shows around town, as well as a new website. People can contact me through the site. In the future, I hope to create a way for people from out of town to make purchases through the website. For those of you interested in seeing Talese’s work or finding out more about her upcoming show, please visit her website at www.taleseheckler.com.

Thank you Talese for taking the time to talk with us!

December 9, 2009, 10:19 pm

Last year, Shirley Chiu came up with the Recycle Circle Project during an airplane ride and this year, Art with Heart is the happy beneficiary of that idea! The Project encourages professional designers to create works of art from unused material samples. The art is then sold to the public and 100% of the profits are donated to a local nonprofit that advances the creation of art and works with children.

Shirley says that the main idea for the project stemmed from a love of creative thinking and the art of making things. She knew that many designers had boxes of unused materials that were too beautiful to throw away and decided to motivate them to do something about it. Knowing that artists work well under a deadline, Shirley spends all year collecting donations of materials, then gives the independent designers 8 weeks to create a piece of art for the holiday sale. Each work is beautiful, unique and created from recycled materials.

This year’s Recycle Circle Holiday Charity Show will be held at ai Design Studio at 81 Vine Street, Suite 308 at the cross streets of Western & Vine in downtown Seattle. Artwork can be purchased on Friday, Dec 11^th from 5 to 9 pm or Saturday, Dec 12^th between 11 am and 3 pm. Last year, almost all of the art sold out, so get there early for the best selection!

Shirley and Art with Heart would like to send a special thank you to all of the independent designers who created work, as well as the design firms who donated materials to make this year’s event a success.

December 7, 2009, 4:02 pm

Hotel 1000 really knows how to throw a party!

The kick-off celebration of their “12 Days of Comfort, Joy & Cheer”  came to life with a fashion show and live auction, which raised over $8,000 to support Art with Heart’s programs to help children in crisis.

The evening began with snowflakes that fell outside the doors. Guests enjoyed scrumptious hors d’ourves from  BOKA KITCHEN + BAR.The auction offerings ranged from a weekend away to Napa Valley to tickets to see Oprah in Chicago!

The celebration continues through the rest of the month with 12% of the proceeds from the sale of the 12 Days hotel packages, spa treatments, BOKA menu items and gift cards that will be donated to Art with Heart.

Hotel 1000 is also  featuring its second annual 12 Days Shopping Passport Program with participating West Edge neighborhood boutiques and specialty retailers giving a 12% donation to the charity on purchases made this month. For more information, please visit Hotel 1000.

, 3:28 pm

We’d like to thank the Sammamish Club for their recent donation of over $5,000! Art with Heart was chosen as the beneficiary of The Sammamish Club’s first-ever community-building fundraiser. The month long event would not have been possible without the efforts of several amazing staff members who worked diligently to organize a series of activities in which Club instructors and members donated their services and activity fees.

The fundraising efforts culminated with an Art with Heart weekend, which featured a mini-triathlon, a children’s art night, a raffle with fabulous prizes, and an open house with a wonderful selection of wine and appetizers.

Thank you so much to John McKinnon, who inspired and paved the way for this first fundraiser, which will now become an annual event. Thank you also to the Sammamish Club Staff and Club Members who worked to make this such a successful event!

For more information about the Sammamish Club, located in Issaquah, visit them online. http://www.sammamishclub.com/index.htm