Raising creativity up on angels' wings

	Art on sale What: Exhibit and sale of religious art by Barbara Winske. When: Saturday, Dec. 9. Preview at 5 p.m.; silent auction, 5-9 p.m.; sale 7-9 p.m. Where: Resurrection Church, 333 Hilltop Dr., Allouez. Also: Reception will follow the sale and will include wine and hors d'oeuvres, harp music by Cheryl Murphy. Proceeds: Benefit for the Resurrection Parish Worship Program.

A Green Bay artist hopes to enliven a sense of the sacred in others while helping her parish through an exhibit and sale of her original art work at "An Evening With the Angels."

The showing by Barbara Winske will be Saturday at Resurrection Church in suburban Green Bay.

Winske has been an artist all her life.

"Over the years I have done hundreds of portraits, both commissioned and for family and friends," Winske said. "Some of my past works have included the Green Bay Packers during the 'Glory Years' and a favorite one of Reggie White."

About three years ago, Winske turned to religious art after a 7½-year bout with breast cancer. "I have received many blessings, including surviving breast cancer. One of the ways I can express my thanks is to 'give back' to my church though my art. This seems especially appropriate to me as we near the end of the Jubilee Year."

Winske said she loved to draw and read about angels and saints when she was young. "Angels being pure spirits have so much mystery and power about them," she said. "The saints are inspiring because of their humanness. Because we are human I think we need beautiful images, music and architecture as reminders to lift our thoughts to God."

Winske found encouragement in Pope John Paul's "Letter to Artists" (4/23/99). The line "... beauty is the visible form of the good ... works of art express the invisible reality of God," especially affected her.

One of Winske's goals is to re-awaken an appreciation for classical beauty in religious art.

"There seems to be a movement within the church in that direction, most notably in the work of the American Academy of Sacred Art in Philadelphia where young artists are being trained in this field," she said.

Winske said she is pleased because that training of young artists means religious art has a bright future.

Some of Winske's work can be seen in the day chapel at Resurrection Church. In 1999 Winske donated to her parish three large paintings of the Archangels Gabriel, Raphael and Michael. It took Winske about a year to complete the three paintings and she said she is honored to have them displayed in the chapel.

Fr. Paul DeMuth, pastor, said he was thrilled to have the paintings donated to the parish.

"The paintings are exquisite pieces of artwork" Fr. DeMuth said. "These paintings truly raise peoples minds to the majesty of God as they enter the chapel to pray. The paintings set the chapel off as a powerful room. This has been a fantastic gift, and the parish is grateful for the paintings."

Most of Winske's paintings are water colors. "My technique is rather unusual in that I gradually build layers of color with a tiny brush leaving virtually no brush marks. It is time consuming but gives a very soft effect."

Winske draws her inspiration from several sources. One is Blessed Fra Angelico, a Dominican friar and a great artist of the 15th century in Florence. "He was beatified in 1982 by Pope John Paul and named patron of artists. It has been said that he never picked up a paint brush without first saying a prayer," said Winske.