A statement by Laara A. Rhine follows:

I am honored to represent Holland on behalf of the WPMP.  The goals and ideas of WPMP have been a part of my own goals for as far back as I can remember. Art as a carrier of culture since the dawn of time profoundly affects on our health and well-being. It is the red thread which has woven the rich tapestry of experience both for my life and my art, as well as the countless seminars I have held in various countries for artists, interested people, and children of all ages. It can best be described by the analogy of the shimmering rainbow of light which weaves through the elements, crossing all boundaries to bring light and color to even to the drabbest landscape.

I’m a citizen of the Netherlands, of partial Dutch descent, born prior to the outbreak of WW-II. My formative years, however were spent in California which provided both the climate and the unique opportunities for me to freely pursue my artistic interests. The intense contrasts of light and shadow experienced during childhood awakened a deep longing to express through art.  My exploration of a wide variety of artistic disciplines motivated me still further in my search for the ways and means to express both the material as well as the immaterial facets of nature through painting.

Interest in the arts together with my inclination toward medically orientated fields became the catalyst for the vocational choice of occupational therapy.  It was the only professional option during the late 1950's to embody medical studies, creativity and art. My earnest desire to become an art therapist brought me to Europe on a one way ticket in the early sixties, where I continued my studies.  Following my official training in art therapy, I took up permanent residence in The Netherlands where I was employed as an art therapist in clinical situations, primarily with children and adults.  The actual start of the period of exhibiting my work, was initiated by an invitation to send four of my paintings to be part of a special exhibit at the Javits Museum in New York.  Since that time my art work has been regularly exhibited in Holland. Apart from painting and exhibitions, the years up to the present have been filled with the facilitation of seminars and workshops around the multi-facetted theme “Artistic Experience as a Healing Force©.”

The synchronicities of my life afforded the development of artistic skills which served as the framework for the seminars and workshops which I have held for many years.  The keynote of “Artistic Experience as a Healing Force”© was to provide a platform for the individual process of each participant to enable them to draw from their own creativity and inspiration for their own “meaning-full” art. To that end, the Spark-o-Lite foundation was established to facilitate courses, and guest speakers from other countries on relevant subjects dealing with Art in Life and the Art of Life. The foundation functioned from the mid-eighties until the late nineties.

The course of my life and inspired observations have given rise to countless paintings of landscapes, flowers, minerals and animals.  Recent years have found me thoroughly enjoying the painting humorous whimsical characters going about their daily activities under the theme "Lightning up helps lift life's burdens."  Watercolor, acrylic and encaustic (melted wax) are the mediums in which I usually work.

Among my hobbies and interests are crystals and minerals, the creation of verbal pictures through story writing, and generally studying new ways to do old things.  I am fascinated by the rhythms found in nature; a fence weaving through the countryside, the rustling of trees in the wind as well as the element of water.  These impressions inspire the ‘visible music’ for my creations.

I'm very happy to welcome Laara as the newest member to our artists global collaborative effort to present to the world a global Peace Offering.  Her choice for the Peace Marker Netherlands is the community of Almere; a unique portion of Holland acquired from the sea through Dutch ingenuity.

Welcome Ambassador Laara A. Rhine. You may contact her at rainbowbridge@planet.nl

Tiité April 11, 2010