STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK

David Rau found his path to wellness after surgery rendered his right painting hand practically useless by learning to paint koi with his left hand.

Marie Stewart noted that the creative and often meditative process of painting mandalas and other geometric-inspired artwork has been part of “a lifelong journey to maintain my sanity.”

And Bex Wilkinson shared how she had set about painting after the love of her live, who had been struggling with a crippling illness, took his life.

“Art got me through a year of hell,” she said.

These were among the artists who donated works to NAMI-Wood River Valley’s Journey to Wellness silent art auction this past week.

The evening, centered around a lavish table of chicken peanut satay, potstickers and other foods that had been artfully concocted, was held in the old KIC building in Ketchum amidst music provided by the Harriman String Quartet.

And it featured nearly a hundred pieces of art that came in all forms, from a CD provided by the Wood River Jewish Community’s new rabbi Robbi Sherwin to fiber art created by Roseana McCauley, who described how the ritual of dressing a loom and sitting down at it created a path to creativity and wellness.

Tisa McCombs donated a painting of a fox on a canvas no larger than a playing card, noting that “even when you think you’re alone, you’ aren’t.”

R.J. Scheu donated a handful of beautiful paintings of full moons and mountains, while Madelene Mills donated portrait of a fantasy cruise ship constructed out of tiles and Christopher and Company and Edna Benzinger donated jewelry.

Mary Jones crated edible jewelry pieces, including pearls made from bubble gum with the tagline: “Rethink how to approach how you feel.”

And a “Mirror mirror on the wall” reminded viewers that having a positive end of self can empower people to live beyond their wildest dreams.

Quilter Janet Houts donated a quilt she named “Idaho Moon” that originated with a commission from a textile company to show off its new line. So far, she’s sold a thousand patterns.

“I donated it to NAMI because I find it so calming,” she said looking at the quilt of a moon, horse, aspen and owl and polar bear done in hues of blue.

“I was in a state of distress when I first started painting. And, after I finished my first watercolor, I sat back and said, ‘Ohmigod, I need to do more of this,’ ” recounted Poo Wright-Pulliam, who donated a painting of a resplendent quetzal she titled “From Darkness to Light,”  “Artwork helps people move to recovery from all kinds of situations.”

Paige Klune noted that NAMI has helped more than 200 families in the Wood River Valley throughout the years.

She herself was grateful to have the organization when she suddenly found herself dealing with a family member who was dealing with mental illness. Klune took a series of free family education classes that the organization offered and surprised to learn how many people deal with mental illness at some point during their lives.

“NAMI gave me the opportunity to have another vision, an understanding,” she said. “Now I know how to talk about it, how to think about how they feel instead of how I feel.”

To learn more, visit https://nami-wrv.org/