Title: Fine Art Painter

Company: CL Brimberry Artwork

Location: Fayetteville, AR

Catherine Hall Gilbert Brimberry has played English handbells since 1979 when she first started college and she fell in love with handbells the first time she heard them. She’s been playing in Fayetteville, Arkansas in two different handbell groups. When her family first moved to Fayetteville, she found a Methodist church, Central United Methodist Church, in honor of her mother who had passed away a few short years before. Her mother had been a lifelong Methodist and she wanted to do something to keep her memory alive so she made one call and she’s been playing in the same church, and the same handbell group for almost 15 years.

Eight years ago, Ozark Bronze was born as a community handbell group made up of handbell players that auditioned for the honor of being selected by the director to be invited to become a member of Ozark Bronze. Some of the ‘ringers’ are professional musicians but most have careers in other varied types of work. She loves performing in Ozark Bronze and she’ll probably always be a handbell ringer.

Ms. Hall Gilbert Brimberry has also been busy in her community donating her art.  For the last 10 years, Central United Methodist Church has hosted a Regional Handbell Festival with nationally known clinicians and she’s been donating one piece of Handbell Art to be donated at the Festival for the last eight years. She’s also donated to a local art gallery called The Art Center of the Ozarks for one of their major fund raisers.  The event at ACO is called the 5×5 Event, and the artist is given a 5′ by 5′ canvas to create whatever they like without changing the basic size of the frame, but you can still by very creative with what you are given. She’s been donating to ACO for at least 10 years.

Ms. Hall Gilbert Brimberry’s art is showcased in private collections across the U.S. and Europe. She has studied art with fine teachers, and is a retired psychotherapist. Every few years, she travels to Umbria, a region of Italy, to visit the art school there. She feels that the uncontrollable nature of watercolors helped her ‘let go’ and accept what the paint would ultimately form on the canvas. She advises her children to follow their passion, not money. If you are passionate, she says, money will follow. She encourages artists to create their own styles, rather than try to imitate others.