Peace Week

Along with her Language Arts courses, Karen Davis teaches Introduction to Peace Studies. She received a certificate from The United States Institute of Peace in Washington D.C. for completion of an intensive seminar for community college educators in 2007.  In 2013 she participated in a weeklong seminar, “Teaching Peace in the 21st Century,” at the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at Notre Dame University.  

In 2015 she participated in the Institute for Curriculum and Campus Internationalization at the Center for the Study of Global Change at Indiana University. She has been working on establishing a certificate of globalization and peace for PHSC students. Davis has written a chapter “Community Building through a Peace and Social Justice Institute” in Peacebuilding in Community Colleges, A Teaching Resource, edited by David J. Smith and published by the United States Institute of Peace Press. She holds a BA in English from St John’s University and an MA in English from Rutgers University. 

Mason Gehring is an actual Floridian born into a family of artists in Dunedin, Florida. She is a studio artist, drawing and painting instructor, and an artist in healthcare professional, with a BFA from the School of Visual Art and an MA in Arts in Medicine from University of Florida.

Mason’s first love is painting and spends lots of time in her studio developing a contemporary body of work. She also uses her arts in healthcare training to develop, create, and facilitate art experiences in healthcare settings. She is an active member of the arts community in Dunedin and throughout Pinellas County. She is a faculty member at the Dunedin Fine Art Center and at NOMAD Art Bus’s Micro Camp in North Greenwood Clearwater.

She believes that creating is our first language and that it’s a primitive ritual that keeps us connected to humanity, ourselves, and pushes civilization forward. When not teaching, working on her own body of work, or projects for arts in health programming, Mason enjoys spending a lot of time outside and spends every Thursday morning at Honeymoon Island walking with her best friend and photographing their experience. Follow along with them at #thursdayswithchris or #thursdayswithmason or visit her website at masongehring.com.

Karen Heidler is an award-winning American watercolorist originally from southwestern Pennsylvania. She currently lives in Spring Hill, FL and has been a part of the art community for almost 30 years. She received her Bachelor of Fine Art from Mount Vernon Nazarene University in 1994. She is a signature member of the National Watercolor Society and the Florida Watercolor Society.  She exhibits in a multitude of national and international juried art shows and her work has won many distinguished awards. Her work has been published in three editions of Splash: The Best of Watercolor Magazine. Karen creates highly realistic paintings of her favorite subjects; people, animals and landscapes. Her paintings reflect who she is and communicates her desire to connect with nature while inviting others along for the journey. 

Karen Heidler is an award-winning American watercolorist originally from southwestern Pennsylvania. She currently lives in Spring Hill, FL and has been a part of the art community for almost 30 years. She received her Bachelor of Fine Art from Mount Vernon Nazarene University in 1994. She is a signature member of the National Watercolor Society and the Florida Watercolor Society.  She exhibits in a multitude of national and international juried art shows and her work has won many distinguished awards. Her work has been published in three editions of Splash: The Best of Watercolor Magazine. Karen creates highly realistic paintings of her favorite subjects; people, animals and landscapes. Her paintings reflect who she is and communicates her desire to connect with nature while inviting others along for the journey. 

https://www.karenheidler.com

Evan Neidich makes art that brings joy!  She is a freelance illustrator and the artist behind Fox & Crow Paper Co.  Evan holds a BFA from The Museum School and a MAT from Tufts University.  As a teacher, she loves supporting students in finding relaxation, joy and their own unique voice through their artwork.

Owner of Your Arts Desire Fine Art Studio & Gallery, established 1999. Mary is an accomplished artist, and an art teacher who takes a personalized approach to academy-style art instruction.  To bring a creative art activity to PHSC peace week has been such a rewarding experience. The students are so enthusiastic and motivated. It’s a pleasure to spend time on campus.

Originally from New York, Calan Ree has called St. Petersburg, FL home for over 20 years. Her ceramic and mixed media figurative sculptures can be found in galleries and shops in St. Petersburg Florida and at Stranger Factory in New Mexico. She has exhibited at galleries across the United States and in Denmark. Her work can be found by collectors around the world. In addition to her studio work, Calan has been a Teaching Artist for over 10 years. She works with the non-profit art outreach organization NOMAD Art Bus, facilitates community arts engagements with SPACEcraft, has worked with Creative Clay teaching art to adults with neurological and developmental differences and has been a facilitator at events, camps and workshops at museums, colleges and public events. While choosing to focus primarily in clay sculpture and handbuilt pottery in her studio, when working as a Teaching Artist Calan brings her knowledge and passion for a wide assortment of art mediums including printmaking, paper craft, painting, illustration, design and most recently embroidery. “What matters most is not the medium but whether or not it can spark joy and self-expression. I introduce the medium, provide tools and offer instruction, all while encouraging exploration and curiosity. The greatest art journeys begin with the freedom to explore.

Drupon Thinley Ningpo Rinpoche was born in the Nag-chu District of Tibet. In his youth, Drupon-la was marked by a loving and compassionate nature and an active concern for the welfare of others. He entered school at the age of eight, excelled in his education, and was appointed as teacher when he was 17 years old. At that time he held a second job as a clerk for the municipal government. In addition to his teaching and clerical work, Drupon-la pursued studies in veterinary medicine. After continuing this work for some time, his natural inclination towards the Dharma developed into a determination to pursue a formal spiritual path. His family supported his decision and Drupon-la entered Drong Ngur Monastery where he became a student of the eminent Buddhist scholar, Lama Kedrub Siddhi Rinpoche. He engaged in the study of a wide range of Drikung Buddhist traditions, including ritual practices, mandala and stupa design, construction, and the art of producing bronze images of sacred beings. Subsequently, he was made director of the project to construct a new main stupa for the monastery. After completing this formidable project, he went on a pilgrimage to Drikung Thel Monastery where he met the great yogin and scholar, Drubwang Pachung Rinpoche. Drupon-la was inspired to request the essential instructions for spiritual practice. Recognizing his unique abilities, Drubwang Rinpoche agreed and asked him to return at daybreak. He was then able to receive the profound essence instructions in the practice and mastery of the peerless Mahamudra.

In 1988 Drupon-la went on a pilgrimage to the sacred places of Tibet. This brought him to the western regions of the country where he had the unique opportunity to escape to India. This was accomplished through a very perilous two-month journey on foot across the Himalayas. Once safely in India, he proceeded to a Drikung Kagyu sanctuary and entered the institute of higher education. After completing the full monastic curriculum, Drupon-la was appointed as dean of the institute. He served in this capacity for six years.

Drupon-la spent 1994 in spiritual retreat, during which time he accomplished all the preliminary practices of the Five-fold Mahamudra. He then entered the traditional three-year retreat in Dorje Redrubde hermitage in Alora where he accomplished the practices of the Five-fold Mahamudra and the profound path of the Six Yogas of Naropa. Additionally, he participated in the Drikung Kagyu Snake Year teaching retreat and received the entire body of Drikung Kagyu empowerments, transmissions, and instructions for advanced practice. In this way, he completed the process of advanced training in all the profound and sacred traditions of the Drikung Kagyu and earned the title of Drupon “master of spiritual attainment.”

Motivated by his deep and yearning desire to help others attain liberation, Drupon-la traveled to America where he served as Spiritual Director and Retreat Master of the Tibetan Meditation Center in Frederick, MD.

With the blessing of HH Drikung Kyabgon Chetsang, Drupon-la relocated to Wesley Chapel, FL in 2012, and is establishing a Dharma center for study, practice, and retreat. We have been very blessed here in Florida by Drupon-la’s kindness and practical wisdom. Drupon-la possesses the special quality of being able to understand deeply the needs of Western students and to provide Dharma teachings most beneficial to progress on their own unique spiritual journey.

Lynne Simone is a visual artist inspired by bold color, texture and emotion. Lynne works in a variety of media to preserve precious memories on canvas, specializing in one-of-a-kind pet portraits using vivid color. She strives to elicit an emotional response from her clients, noting the special bond a pet owner shares with their fur baby. "The eyes are windows to the soul" is her mantra for portraiture.

Lynne has two grown children and now spends her days living the middle-aged dream as a part-time licensed massage therapist and "wanna be" full-time artist.  She creates in her home studio under the direction of her cat, Waldo, who always seems to find a way onto her lap while she works.  She displays at several local Tampa Bay galleries and teaches step-by-step acrylic classes at Marker 48 Brewery in Hernando County. She is also a Silverbrush Educator. Teaching non-artists has become a source of joy and has given her great fulfillment over the last 10 years.

When not creating, she can be found attending concerts with her sweet boyfriend of 10 years, sampling wine and chocolate and hoarding paint.

Website:  Lynne Simone Fine Art | Pet Portrait Artist | Land O' Lakes, Florida

Steve Turner is the Founder and Lead Drum Circle Facilitator of Giving Tree Music. He has been performing, making drums and facilitating drum circles across the United States with Giving Tree Music for over 20 years.

Bryan has spent the past 3 years of his life learning, practicing, and developing programming for The Tuning In Practice. He has completed Level 1 training in mindfulness, meditation, and mantra work with Dr. Gene Healy at Root Healing Wellness. He has spent 5 years intensely training Brazilian capoeira and has since developed his own practice and applied elements of it to a movement practice. And finally, he has reignited my passion as an artist and started creating a new body of work in late 2021 that has been included in Studio Waltz 2022 and shown at The Dunedin Chamber of Commerce public workspace at The Hub.