Artistic & Therapeutic Background of Founder

The founder of the Creative Visual Workshop, Rev. Dr. Barbara Rothwell, comes from a long line of artists and humanitarians. Her artistic work can be found in a multitude of medias, while her humanitarian work is less seen, but felt by the individuals she has helped.
 

Barb started her professional career in art and advertising, continuing a family tradition. Her father had a wide variety of interests that he shared with her, as a minister, and a commercial artist.  Many of her talents are based on the insights that she gathered from working along side of her father, learning various aspects of woodworking, the art world, and religions.

The biggest lesson that she learned was to see beyond the surface of things. To see the hidden aspects and potential of any person, object, or situation, that were yet to be created, formed or transformed.

She attended Wayne State University, graduated from Concordia College and New Earth Theological University, taking additional courses at the University of Wisconsin. Her studies in Journalism, Medical Science, Theology, International Development, Business Management, and Technology, helped her pursue a successful career in both the private and public sectors for 39 years. 

After retiring from public service, she reflected back to her roots in the art world and sought out other media to apply the talents that she had gained throughout the years in both the public and private sector. Along the way she helped out a dear friend of her and her husbands who shared a love for model trains. She worked as a contractor on several construction projects for model rail road enthusiasts, doing benchwork construction, wiring, backdrops, and scenery. However, she felt drawn back to an earlier calling.

Ordained in 1976, she managed to fit her ministerial work around her professional career and volunteer work with numerous non-profit organizations. The majority of her ministerial time was spent in working and helping those that were experiencing a loss of any type, (spiritually, emotionally, or physically), as well as performing weddings or funerals along the way.

Gourd art helped her transition from international travel back to a more academic world, by sharing her knowledge through teaching. Background research on the origin of gourd art prompted an increase in her desires to activate research in more spiritual matters. In 2015 she started working toward her doctorate degree, completing her thesis, (The Power of the Soul), in early 2019, and was awarded her doctorate in September 2019. During her doctoral studies, she found the use of meditation as a resource to gain additional insight into the power of understanding and universal consciousness.

She enjoys not only creating new and interesting visual designs, but teaching interested individuals in various medias to instill a more solid foundation for them to obtain a fresher outlook on life and build confidence in their abilities. As a member of the International Institute's Artisan Guild, she still searches for new avenues to provide creative visual learning opportunities for others, as a way of helping others to reach their potential in a therapeutic way. She has found that projects such as incorporating meditation and horticulture into Labyrinths, have produced outcomes both amusing and therapeutic.