The Story of Lane Cara Shaw
Petite, British Lane Cara Shaw attended my mandala class when she was a young 83. After her first session, she was hooked! Following the 6-week class, she began teaching a weekly drop-in class herself, teaching the mandala as a tool for self-healing and encouraging and teaching others to teach. She did this until she was 90. She became an amazing friend, and gave me much encouragement!
We all have stories to tell, don’t we? My adventure began way back when I was 12 years old. It was a gift from God! I remember looking around in art class in England and seeing all the girls doing fine drawings. I longed to, but didn’t believe I had any talent. More than seventy years passed, when on April 20, 1995, a friend invited me to Michele Faia’s “Painting through the Heart” class. That night I was introduced to something new! We were led in a guided meditation to draw whatever we “saw,” “felt,” or “knew.” In my state of disbelief I was sure I would see nothing. But that night the ‘magic” happened, and it continued for five more weeks.
I not only knew what to draw, but my hand knew where to go! The impact of these drawings and the encouragement of an inspired teacher completely changed my focus! I learnt that I needed to make changes in my life, and that every one of us has the power to heal ourselves through art. I longed to teach others what I had learnt, and so with a lot of encouragement from Michele, a professional artist, I began to give small classes which have continued to this day. Only recently I have remembered my longing to be artistic much have begun with the ‘seed’ thought I put out so many years ago!
My thanks go out to Gratia Trevey who first invited me to the class, to Sue Hamilton who offered her home when I told her what I wanted to do; to my son, Graeme Shaw, MD, who not only attended the classes and co-directed them, but sent several of his patients to benefit from them; to Cindy Amaral for her art and constant encouragement; to Michele Faia, MA, who was ‘always there’ to advise and encourage me; to Sky, a professional painter, who at short notice took on the class when I fractured my hip; to Jo Anne Springer, Patricia Bullock, a trained mediator and to whose studio we moved into, and Wendy Hawkins, all who have taught many classes, and continue to this day.
