Fruits of Divine: Unique event combines inspiring wines with prosperity strategies for female entrepreneurs

By: about

Asheville’s women business leaders celebrate their uniqueness, widen their networks, and refine their niches in an event featuring inspiring wines and divine insights any money goddess would love to attend

Sept. 8 at The Wine Studio

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Women business leaders widen their networks and refine their market niches in an upcoming event, “Fruits of DiVine: Apply Feminine Marketing Strategies to Revisit Your Niche, Pick Ripe, Low-Hanging Fruit Others Have Missed, and Fill Your Glass to Overflowing,” at 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, September 8, at the Asheville Wine Studio, at http://www.winestudioasheville.com/.

“There is a dominant misconception in Asheville, as in many places, that there isn’t enough business, enough money, enough contacts to go around,” says Sherri McLendon, a marketing mentor with Professional Moneta International, at http://www.professionalmoneta.com, which takes its name from the ancient Roman goddess of money, Juno Moneta. McLendon is certified as a Niche Breakthrough Secrets specialist by the International Association of Women In Business Coaching.

“The reality is that if we narrow our focus and our niche, we cease to see competitors. Instead, we turn those persons into collaborators, friends, connectors, and resources. Suddenly, there’s not only enough, there’s more than enough. And it all begins with finding our place in the world.”

That’s why McLendon, and Wine Studio proprietor Jessica Gualano, have joined together to create a customized strategy to match the characteristics of divine feminine prosperity archetypes with wines which embody the spirit of women in business today. Then, structured networking is combined with activities designed to freshen and refocus the feminine entrepreneur’s market niche.

“I don’t think we’ve ever done anything quite like it,” says Gualano. “Together, we’re offering a unique program full of divine insights and take-aways. I’m presenting the wines, Sherri’s presenting the feminine approach to niche and marketing. You’ll leave ready to take inspired action in your business.”

Besides feminine approaches to business, McLendon’s passions include wine and mythology. Prosperity goddess archetypes are often found serving variations of wine-and-honey, filling the honored visitor’s glass to overflowing. So the decision to create a unique wine-and-money experience for modern day money goddesses felt exactly right.

“We’re even creating a special approach to toasting,” says McLendon. “This event will definitely be something to remember.”

“Fruits of DiVine: Apply Feminine Marketing Strategies to Revisit Your Niche, Pick Ripe, Low-Hanging Fruit Others Have Missed, and Fill Your Glass to Overflowing,” at 5:30-7 p.m. Thursday, September 8, at the Asheville Wine Studio, $25. Registration is limited and on a first come, first serve basis. Call 828-255-5955 to reserve your seats today.







Cindy Walton Highlighted as Next-Generation ‘Colorist’

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Water Source 2 is featured work in Asheville Museum of Art exhibit of significant color
driven works past and present

ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Noted abstraction fine artist Cindy Walton’s work, Water Source 2, is a featured work in the exhibit, Color Study, which showcases important regional and national Colorists past and present at Asheville Art Museum July 9 – Nov. 6, with the Opening on Friday, July 15, 5:30-8:30 p.m.

Color Study originates with mid-20th century gestural painters and color field artists, such as Kenneth Noland, Helen
Frankenthaler, George Bireline, Hans Hoffman, Sam Gilliam, Helen Frankenthaler, Pat Pasloff, and Frank Stella, then goes on to explore later trajectories using color as the primary means of expression.

Though most of the work in Color Study is drawn from the museum’s permanent collection, Cole Hendrix, curator, felt “we had a great opportunity with this exhibit to showcase the extraordinary talent of some of the artists living and working in our region.”

Walton’s work joins that of ten other highly regarded Western North Carolina artists in the exhibit.

Her Water Source 2 depicts the sweeping beauty of Beaver Lake, a well-known Asheville haven for walking, canoeing, and nature watching. It provides a compelling window on what it means to be a Colorist, or to create color-driven paintings.

“Water Source 2 is a real tour-de-force of a painting – complicated, nuanced and rich,” Hendrix says. “I have long admired it. It is such an evocative work.”

Characterized by bold, emotive impressions and sweeping, color-carved landscapes, Walton’s work is noteworthy, says Hendrix.

“Cindy’s work is absolutely color-driven,” says Hendrix. “I am especially interested in what it means to be color-driven now, and what lessons our younger artists have learned from their predecessors.”

Recently accepted to the juried National Association of Women Artists, Walton enjoys emerging prestige as an artist with increasing significance in the national arena.

Hendrix notes she particularly admires Walton’s “willingness to challenge herself. She is never content to just continue down a single path; she is constantly evolving and setting new problems to solve.”

A case in point, her recent works feature elegantly, subtle palettes layered to create intricate jewel-like canvas treasures. In fact, her versatility in medium and mood captured the attention of Western North Carolina art enthusiasts last fall with her introduction of the cold wax medium – consisting of a beeswax paste mixed with oil paints for a matte, layered texture – into her repertoire. The result has generated a furor of interest among discerning collectors and experts.

With her growing reputation as a significant artist to watch, and an awe-inspiring mastery of technique and style, the demand for Walton’s works has increased, and her workshops for professional artists have sold out repeatedly.

For Walton, being an artist isn’t something she does, it’s who she is: bright, decisive, present, emotive, evocative, intelligent and saturated with complexity.

“I’m simply happy to be able to do something I love, and share it with others who find beauty and meaning in the work,” she says.

“Fine art is meant to be enjoyed,” she believes. “For someone to choose to live with one of my paintings is the highest praise of all.”

The exhibit, Color Study, including Water Source 2, is July 9 – Nov. 11, 2011, in the Appleby Foundation Gallery of the Asheville Art Museum. For more information on Cindy Walton, fine artist, see her web site at http://www.cindywalton.com.

Sherri L. McLendon is a publicist and communications strategist in Western North Carolina. She may be reached at http://www. sherrimclendon.com.




WNC author, men’s spirituality expert Stamper featured in Ultimate Men’s Summit

By: about

Stamper shares how “The Warrior Spirit – An Ancient Imperative of Modern Man,” accelerates transformation of masculinity in the 21st century era of human growth, development, and potentiality in landmark international summit June 18

ASHEVILLE, N .C. (June 16, 2011) –Western North Carolina author and facilitator Gary Stamper, a pioneer in the alternative men’s spirituality movement, is a featured presenter in the international Men’s Ultimate Summit Saturday, June 18, at 11 a.m. PST/2 p.m. EST.

The segment, “The Warrior Spirit – an Ancient Imperative for Modern Man,” places Stamper firmly in the company of 75 respected teachers, authors, and elders including inspiring and transformational trailblazers like Neale Donald Walsch, Gary Zukav, Dan Millman, Hal Stone, Andrew Harvey, John Perkins, Claudio Naranjo and Gay Hendricks. The Ultimate Men’s Summit is the largest ever of its kind, dedicated to the growth, evolution, and expression of men in the modern world.

Known for his work with the “Integral Warrior,” Stamper helps men with a desire to assist human evolution transcend traditional archetypes and outdated stereotypes to embody the New Masculine, waking to their full potentials.

An international award-winning designer and national facilitator of the Shamanic Priest Process™, Stamper is also author of a pending book Awakening the New Masculine: the Way of the Integral Warrior, now under contract with Berrett-Koehler Publishers at http://www.bkconnection.com/.

“When we learn to embody the New Masculine,” says Stamper. “We integrate and call in all perspectives of the masculine with fierce awareness, stretching the boundaries of what is possible. We bravely hold space for the feminine, nature, body, spirit, integrity, wisdom and heart.”

“As men, we are waking up to our true gifts – and stewarding the emergence of a new era,” says Stamper. “We’re evolving a new form of masculinity – one infused with integrity, authenticity, generosity and virtue. And we’re living more purposefully and finding ways to serve a cause greater than ourselves.”

Gary Stamper’s segment, “The Warrior Spirit – an Ancient Imperative for Modern Man,” is Saturday, June 18, at 11 a.m. PST and 2 p.m. EST. To sign up for this FREE virtual event, and access segments in the Ultimate Men’s Summit through June 19 at https://shiftnetwork.infusionsoft.com/go/umsGS/gstamper/. For more information on Gary Stamper and his unique work with men’s groups and relationship workshops, go to http://www.garystamper.com/integralwarrior.htm/.

Sherri L. McLendon is a freelance writer in Weaverville, N.C., who specializes in helping entrepreneurs upscale their money mindset and apply spiritual principles in marketing, public relations, and media communications. Find out more about her done-for-you services at McLendon Bylines, http://www.sherrimclendon.com, or her divinely inspired marketing mentoring agency, Professional Moneta International, at http://www.professionalmoneta.com.

Opening reception honoring Cindy Walton, fine artist, is tonight at Asheville Gallery of Art

By: about

Fine artist Cindy Walton evolves an ethereal, emergent style in a series of abstraction and cold wax paintings evoking a timeless pathos and elegant sensibility

Cindy Walton, fine artist, may be known for bold, emotive impressions and sweeping, color-carved landscapes, but reveals yet another layer of talent and meaning in a new series of finely executed abstraction and cold wax paintings with unsurpassed elegance and intricate detail.

Walton is the featured artist at Asheville Gallery of Art from April 1-30, 2011. An opening reception in her honor will be Friday, April 1, from 5-8 p.m.

Within the past year, Walton’s introduction of the cold wax medium – consisting of a beeswax paste mixed with oil paints for a matte, layered texture – into her repertoire as an artist and instructor has generated a furor of interest among discerning collectors and experts. The first public showing of Walton’s work in this medium debuted in September 2010 at the Cotton Mills Studios, where she was a guest artist. In the six month interim, the demand for Walton’s works has increased, and her technique workshops for artists have sold out.

Inspiration and method evolve the creation of an original piece.

“These paintings are small format, intimate, jewel-like treasures,” says Walton.

The technique is ancient in origin, and can be traced to early civilizations as a fine art application. Often confused with encaustic wax painting, cold wax mediums are not heated to produce the delicately textured effect, but instead are applied with knives or other tools and layered for unique visual appeal.

“The detail is really exquisite. This medium gives a three-dimensional quality to a two-dimensional surface,” she explains. “It’s very interesting to see.”

Attend Abstraction and Cold Wax and meet featured artist Cindy Walton at Asheville Gallery of Art at the Opening Reception Friday, April 1, from 5-8 p.m., at 16 College Street, Asheville. The exhibit will be displayed in the gallery from April 1-30, Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sundays from 1-4 p.m. For more information on the event, see the Artist of the Month feature at http://www.ashevillegallery-of-art.com.

For more information on Cindy Walton, fine artist, see her website at http://www.cindywalton.com.

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Sherri L. McLendon, MA, is a communication strategist, marketing mentor, and publicist in Western North Carolina. She may be reached through the website at http://www.sherrimclendon.com.