Welcome to the Special Friends Page
We are delighted to present this page of Special Friends of The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS. These highly respected artists share our mission and belief that art can serve as a catalyst for healing individuals, society and the environment, that art can raise awareness and lift our spirits.
The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS website is an initiative of Manhattan Arts International, which was founded in 2000. We decided to launch this website after curating decades of exhibitions related to the healing power of art, both in NYC venues and on the website.
Are You An Artist Who Would You like to Join Our Special Friends?
Visit this page for details.
Alison Thomas
Special Featured Friend of the Week
Alison Thomas is an award winning artist in the realm of painterly photography. Her resplendent “Serenity Scenes” inspire the viewer to explore more deeply the way beauty is seen and experienced. She achieves this by removing much of the detail and leaving only the essence. She reminds us, “Many times, our eyes get lost in the details or the flaws and we miss the beauty of the scene before us.”
Alison specializes in vertical and horizontal panoramas. Her work is shown in several galleries in the Virginia and Maryland area. Alison’s art was selected for “The Healing Power of Color” 2026 Invitational Exhibition and “The Healing Power of Art Inspired by Nature” 2025 Invitational Exhibition. Manhattan Arts International selected her art for its “HerStory” 2026 Online Exhibition.
Read an Art Review by Renee Phillips on this website: “Alison Thomas Creates Resplendent Nature-Inspired ‘Serenity Scenes’”.
Shown above her ethereal “Lake Snow”, digitally manipulated photography, 12″ x 18″. serenityscenes.com
Dr. Michael Durst
Dr. Michael Durst is world renowned for his “Fractal Impressionism” works of art which emanate feelings of love, hope, peace and unity. He explains, “Fractals, as the building blocks of all things, often contain sacred geometry. The energy contained within these powerful mathematical expressions can be experienced on a cellular level, resonating energetically, intellectually and spiritually.”
Michael’s magnificent art, based on combining the digital image with many layers of glazing to exude beautiful translucent colors and a 3-D effect, was featured at a Solo Exhibition at the Italian International Art Museum MIIT in Turin, Italy. His work reflects a dreamlike, transcendental quality, allowing the body, mind and spirit to heal as never before.
In an Art Review I wrote and published on this website I state, “Dr. Michael Durst creates resplendent works of art that provide an immersive transcendent experience for viewers.” Read the article: “Dr. Michael Durst is A Colorful Messenger of Elation and Healing”.
I also selected Michael’s art for “The Healing Power of Color” 2026 Invitational Exhibition and “Art Inspired by Nature” 2025 Invitational Exhibition..
Shown here is Michael’s “Divine Consciousness”, acrylic on canvas, 15.8″ x 19.5″ from his “Fractal Impressionism” collection. HeartscapePaintings.com
Teri Leigh Teed
Teri Leigh Teed is an extraordinary, multi-talented photographer, writer, poet and songwriter who lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina. She is widely acclaimed for her “Healing Spirit Art” Collection.
Teri’s ebullient photographs reveal the life-affirming presence of a power greater than us and serve to inspire and heal us. With her profound spiritual perspective, she creates paintings of Light with her camera, that allow a glimpse into the unseen world of our imagination.
One of Teri’s photographs was selected for “The Healing Power of Color” 2026 Invitational Exhibition. Her art was also featured in the Manhattan Arts International “Love, Peace, Unity & Hope” 2025 Invitational Exhibition.
Shown above is “Visions of Happiness”, a mesmerizing photograph created at night in the Nantahala Forest. It is from Teri’s “Eleanor’s Dream” series. terileighteed.com
HiskeTas Bain
Hiske Tas Bain creates empowering paintings that capture “fleeting moments of memory, nature, dreams, different places and culture.” She is inspired by Magic Realism and stimulated by her world travels. She explains, “I am interested in changing reality into a positive experience.”
Hiske has exhibited worldwide and has received many commissions for her work. Her inspirational art was selected for the 2025 Manhattan Arts International “Love, Peace, Unity & Hope” Invitational Exhibition.
One of her paintings has also been chosen for art for “The Healing Power of Color” 2026 Invitational Exhibition and our “Art Inspired by Nature” 2025 Invitational Exhibition.
Shown here is her painting “Empress”, acrylic on canvas, 20″ x 24″. From the Tarot, it signifies renewal, spring, fertility, and more. The color green generally signifies growth, harmony, health, life, spring, wealth, and many other positive qualities. Color experts agree this color provides hope more than any other colors. hisketas-fineart.com
Tommy B. McDonell
Tommy B. McDonell is a multi-talented artist with an unbridled creative passion. She excels in using many different mediums. Her artwork is in many collections.
Tommy exudes, “I have never met an art medium that I didn’t want to try. I’ve worked in watercolors, alcohol inks, acrylics, oils, encaustics, pastels and more. It wasn’t until I began to combine them with mediums such as tar gel, or glass beads that I really developed my own style.”
Tommy received a Special Recognition Art Award in “The Healing Power of Art: Love, Peace, Unity & Hope” for her painting “Flowers Help”. One of her paintings was selected for “The Healing Power of Color” 2026 Exhibition.
Tommy is also featured in an article “Artists Confront Life’s Challenges With The Help of The Healing Power of Art” that shares more of her healing art and inspiration.
Shown above is “October Birthdays”, mixed media, 12″ x 9″. leap4artnyc.com
Corina Ioana
Corina Ioana is a multi-talented contemporary artist who was born in Transylvania, Romania and currently lives in California. She conveys a vision of the miraculous natural world and human aspirations and their interconnections. She combines her emotive use of color and superb skills in photography, digital art using drawing and painting techniques. She has received many accolades and has had numerous exhibitions. In June 2025 she was nominated as Artist of the Month by Camelback Gallery. In March 2025 she exhibited her art at the Superfine Art Fair in San Francisco.
Her art was also selected for “The Healing Power of Color” 2026 Invitational Exhibition and the Manhattan Arts International “HerStory” 2025 Invitational Exhibition.
Shown above is “Holy Spice”, original mixed media, acrylic, collage, epoxy on canvas, 30″ x 24″ about which she wrote, “In Holy Spice, I conjured a fierce, sensual force, untouchable yet magnetic.” corinafoto.com
Read an Art Review “Corina Ioana Creates Bold, Vibrant and Empowering Artwork” by Renee Phillips
Britt Michaelian
Britt Michaelian creates artwork with focused healing modalities. She states, “It begins with meditation and a cleansing of my energy with sage smoke and quantum healing to purify my soul, followed by a prayer for the divine to send love through me into the artwork. I incorporate ground mineral stones with specific healing properties into the paint and set the intention to create more peace and calm in the world through each painting. By integrating energy healing into each piece, my art is now capable of sending a healing transmission thus lifting the energetic frequency of not only the viewer, but the entire planet.”
Her art has also been selected for “The Healing Power of Color” 2026 Invitational Exhibition.
Shown here is “Thank You For This Breath”, 48″ x 48″. Mixed media: Reiki energy healing, selenite, rose quartz, lepidolite, labradorite, yellow jasper, blue apatite, thulite, aventurine, lepidolite, rainbow fluorite, Sedona energy vortex soil, love, acrylic on canvas”. brittmichaelian.art
Read an Art Review “Britt Michaelian Creates Transcendent Paintings Infused With Healing Energy” by Renee Phillips.
Mary Manning
Mary Manning creates breathtaking and mystical works of art. As a self-described “Open Impressionist” she brings her expert use of rich, bold colors, fearless animated brushstrokes, and expressive healing energy to her paintings. Nature is Mary’s source of inspiration. She transforms red mountains, national parks and wild creatures into uplifting and restorative paintings.
Mary’s art is in many personal and public collections worldwide including museums. Her art is also shown in several galleries. One of Mary’s ebullient paintings was selected for the Manhattan Arts International “HerStory” 2025 Invitational Exhibition.
Shown here is “River of Gold”, mixed media, 36″ x 28″. marymanningnewwest.com
Karen H. Salup
Karen H. Salup is a nationally renowned award-winning fine artist. Her ebullient abstract expressionist paintings are masterfully created with a spontaneous and proficient use of color, design and composition.
Her abstract art has been featured in many publications including The New York Times. She has had numerous exhibitions throughout the U.S. including the Manhattan Arts International “HerStory” 2025 Invitational Exhibition and its “Love, Peace, Unioty & Hope” 2025 Exhibition. It has also been selected for our “The Healing Power of Color” 2026 Exhhibition.
Karen states, “My work evolves through a balance of analytical knowledge and creative energy which you can feel in all my paintings. During my painting practices as a professional artist and instructor, it is advantageous to exercise the basic elements and principles of art, including compositional formats and color theory. The application or building layers with additional media reconstructs the work into abstraction.”
Shown here is “Breath of Pink”, mixed media, 36” x 36”. karenhs.com
Cindy Lutz Kornet
Cindy is an innovative artist who lives in Massachusetts. To create her gorgeous tactile works of art she skillfully applies a variety of mediums that include acrylic paints, encaustic wax, inks, collage, printing and calligraphy. Cindy also teaches the creative process “as a healing vehicle and roadmap for healthy expression.”
She explains, “My objective is to create art that is hopeful, uplifting, inspires courage and even joy. It is my deep desire to help bridge the gap from human condition on earth to a spiritual place in the higher realms.”
One of her works of art was selected for “The Healing Power of Color” 2026, “The Healing Power of ART: Resilience” 2022 exhibition and also “The Healing Power of Color” 2022 exhibition presented on this website.
Shown here is “Beauty Within the Vases”, mixed media, 24″ x 24″. artandsoulofcindylutzkornet.com
Asami Green
Asami is a visionary healer and artist who seamlessly merges creativity, spirituality, and energy work in her roles as an Intuitive Life Artist, Reiki Master, Creative Alchemist, and Reiki Master.
She states, “Energy flows through every part of our being, guiding us and connecting us to the universe. Tune into the frequencies within you, embracing the life force that is ever-present. Let the world around you inspire you. Its vibrant colors and rich textures are all part of the vast energy that surrounds us. Pause for a moment to see with your eyes and feel with your heart. Allow yourself to be bold, to be fearless. Your ‘Desire’ for life, is a force that permeates your body, mind, heart, and soul, pushing you forward to create, to grow, and to live fully.”
Shown above is “Desire”, mixed media, 30″ x 30″. asamigreen.com
Andi Kay
Andi Kay creates exuberant, innovative works of art using recycled materials that convey her reverence for nature and her desire to lift our spirits. She states, “I create 3-D mixed media bird sculptures and 2-D bird collage from torn paper I make or paint, wire and found objects, then I write a story for each piece. 3-D birds swing on a branch or rest on a wood perch. I love to bring new life to random paper and stray objects and create my interpretation of one of nature’s most magical creatures that lift spirits and embody hope –– guaranteed to fill you with joy.”
Andi’s art has been featured by such organizations as the American Society on Aging and the Alzheimer’s Association. Her art was selected for “Love, Peace, Unity & Hope”, 2025, an exhibition presented by Manhattan Arts International.
Shown above is “Belle”, handmade and painted paper, found objects and wire on swinging wood perch, 8.5″ x 4.5″. andikayart.com
Karen Johnston
Karen is a contemporary abstract painter residing in Nashville, Tennessee. With a personal style that both ponders and celebrates nature and life, she paints with a desire to uplift the spirit and stimulate growth. Her belief that art heals inspires her passion toward community work and projects that integrate the arts with healthcare and well-being. Her award-winning work is represented in Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee galleries and can be found in numerous private and corporate collections throughout the U.S.
Karen is also a dedicated instructor who teaches her personal process of combining the principles of art with meaningful life stories.
Shown here is her painting “Birdsong”, acrylic/mixed media, 36″ x 36″. studiokarenjohnston.com
Read “Karen Johnston Artist and Founder of The H.O.P.E. Ministry”
Patricia Gould
Patricia states, “My inspiration comes from travel in Asia, East Africa, Russia, Antarctica, and throughout North America and Europe. My voice is whispering a tribute to the incredible beauty of nature. Obsessively drawn to trees, rocks, all forms of water, and animals, I portray these subjects as if they were asking me to reveal their messages to the world. My paintings, photographs, and fiber art are dramatic portraits of Earth. I hope to draw the viewers into these scenes to share the exhilaration I feel and to cherish the wonders of the place we call home.”
Shown above is “Together Forever”, acrylic and Shiva oil paintstiks on canvas, 30″ x 30″ x 2.25″. angelfiredesigns.com
The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS is An Initiative of
Manhattan Arts Internationalt has been a leading advocate for under-recognized and accomplished artists from around the world. We created our website in 2000 and have been dedicated to promoting and rewarding artistic excellence in all styles and mediums. We offer a curated artist membership program, online gallery, juried online exhibitions, and articles about art and artists.
We founded The Healing Power of ART & ARTISTS website in 2015 after curating several exhibitions on the theme of The Healing Power of Art. ~ Renee Phillips, Founder, Director and Curator manhattanarts.com