Turning Point

By Lucy M. PritchettSometimes a Turning Point is a turning toward something rather than a turning away. For Jill Doyle that was a turning toward the beauty of flowers.Jill is co-owner of J. Elizabeth Designs, a special event florist in Lyndon. While she was at the University of Louisville working toward a degree in liberal studies focusing on pre-law, she was also working for Nanz and Kraft Florist and later Colonial Designs, learning both the mechanics and the design principles of the floral business.“Once I graduated,” Jill says, “I really couldn’t face the three more [...]

By Lucy M. Pritchett Kit Tossmann didn’t have to think for long when asked about the Turning Point on her artistic path.“Someone wanted to pay me for my art,” she says. “Until then I never really thought of myself as an artist.”Kit creates with fabric: liturgical banners, stoles and other vestments, and art quilts using inspirational themes under her studio name Kit Tossmann InSpirit Designs.“What I really want to do with my art is to speak to the souls of others and reach them in a spiritual place within themselves; to uplift and possibly challenge [...]

By Lucy M. PritchettLittle did Lydia P. Allen know when she named her textile arts business Peace Works just how much peace her stitching would bring her. You might say her Turning Point came on the tip of a needle. It was 2009 and upon the urging of friends, Lydia started her business taken from her creative hobby of using new and recycled wool from clothing and blankets to fashion decorative table mats, runners, ornaments, and bookmarks — one hand-stitch at a time. (clockwise from top left):  Tree ornaments; Lydia's grandchildren enjoy playing with her [...]

By Lucy M. PritchettIt is amazing how many times a chance encounter or an offhand remark can turn one’s life in a different direction. For Tara Anderson an encounter with a previous professor sent her from a career in classical music to a career in public radio. It also paved the way for a chance to live in New York City — an adventure in itself. On the road to becoming a classical singer, Tara majored in music performance at the University of Kentucky. She also listened to her father who thought she needed to [...]

Nora Christensen’s Turning Point may not have changed the direction of her life, but it certainly did change her.By Lucy M. PritchettNora is executive director and puppeteer (also known as The Puppet Lady) of Squallis Puppeteers in Louisville. Last year she was invited to be part of an educational project in Xiang-E, China, a village in which hundreds of children died when poorly built school buildings collapsed during an earthquake in 2008. The project was established by University of Louisville math professor Wei-Bin Zeng. “I was to join the music and language arts teachers from [...]