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<p>By Matt Mattei</p><p>For Dallas Post</p><br><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Prayerful Painting organizer Lynn Marie describes the evening&#8217;s painting activity to 18 participants at the Pope John Paul II Center in Dallas. </div></div><div class="neFile"><img src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/web1_DP_Prayerful-Painting_2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Artist Rita Ann Busch, of Dallas, demonstrates painting the sky and having a level horizon at Prayerful Painting. </div></div><div class="neFile"><img src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/web1_DP_Prayerful-Painting_3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Barbara Michaels, left, of Dallas, and Ann Frederick and her son Brendan, 14, both of Kunkle, are hard at work on their paintings. </div></div><div class="neFile"><img src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/web1_DP_Prayerful-Painting_4.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Artist Rita Ann Busch, center, assists Marilyn O&#8217;Connell of Dallas, left, and her friend Betty Ann Parri, of Plains Township. </div></div><div class="neFile"><img src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/web1_DP_Prayerful-Painting_5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Patty Price, of Lehman Township, works on her painting. </div></div><div class="neFile"><img src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/web1_DP_Prayerful-Painting_6.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Leah Mann-Daly, of, Dallas paints her skyline. </div></div></div>
<p>DALLAS &#8212; Lynn Marie Busch is a doctoral candidate in theology and a certified art instructor who believes that all people have skills, abilities and talents they can offer to others and that sharing those gifts strengthens a community.</p><p>Busch took the first step in encouraging that sentiment on June 25 as she and her mother, Rita, owner of Bountiful Gifts LLC/Friends Around the Easel, invited parishioners of the Gate of Heaven and Our Lady of Victory churches and all other interested parties to learn to paint at the Pope John Paul II Center in Dallas during an event called &#8220;Prayerful Painting.&#8221;</p><p>The mother/daughter team received 18 participants and took them through step-by-step instructions on how to paint a landscape scene of a beach, complete with crisscrossing palm trees, picturesque white-capped waves and a sea that met the sky at the horizon in a rich mixture of carefully-blended blues.</p><p>The prayerful portion of the art class came in adding a symbol, an oyster containing a pearl, which was a reference to a scripture from the book of Matthew. Prior to setting brushes in motion, Busch recalled for the group the passage in which a merchant sells everything he owns for a precious pearl, which represents the kingdom of God.</p><p>The instructor then let her mother start teaching, reminding the students to relax, enjoy the experience and speculate on the beautiful image and the significance of the related passage.</p><p>Leah Mann-Day, of Harveys Lake, found the session relaxing and was grateful that Lynn Marie and Rita Busch chose to share their gifts, since she&#8217;d had a long-standing appreciation for art but had never before painted.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s something I&#8217;ve always wanted to do, and it seemed like fun,&#8221; Mann-Day said.</p><p>Barbara Michaels, by contrast, had recently been to another art class and was motivated to take a second, because she found she enjoys painting.</p><p>&#8220;I love the idea that we&#8217;re all doing the same painting, but it&#8217;s all going to be different,&#8221; said Michaels, noting that each student puts his or her own personal touch on the piece.</p><p>Rita Busch gave instruction from an easel in the front of the class but also walked up and down the rows of tables, providing individual instruction to students who needed advice or were having trouble finding the confidence to create.</p><p>&#8220;I like being with people,&#8221; she said, &#8220;especially children.&#8221; Sincere tears came to the instructor&#8217;s eyes as she spoke of mentoring little ones and marveling at how they have no fear in trying new things.</p><p>Camille Marianacci, of Dallas, was one of the young people in attendance. The 9-year-old found an affinity for painting when her father bought her a paint set recently, but the prayerful painting class was her first venture into the art form since she exhausted her first set of supplies.</p><p>Displaying what she learned from Rita and Lynn Marie Busch, Mariannacci said, &#8220;When you blend the colors, it actually looks &#8230; realistic.&#8221;</p><p>The painting class was the first of what Lynn Marie Busch hopes are many events in which people from her parish and surrounding neighborhoods lend their gifts to others in the community, and she encourages all to share and participate. She plans to hold a painting class every month or two, including sessions where those in attendance study art as a medium of spirituality and a form of speculative virtue, a virtue where one grows in holiness by beholding art or listening to music.</p><p>&#8220;There&#8217;s a lot of spirituality in doing art,&#8221; said Lynn Marie Busch. &#8220;There&#8217;s a lot of spirituality in contemplating before beauty, contemplating others&#8217; art, and so hopefully we can explore some of that.&#8221;</p><br>Reach the Dallas Post newsroom at 570-675-5211 or by email at news@mydallaspost.com.

Gate of Heaven hosts ‘Prayerful Painting’ event in Dallas