Reviews and Press

Use Scroll Bar to right to scroll down and read articles.

^{photo by Sherrie Buzby / The Arizona Republic}

Painter Practices The Art Of Healing

The Arizona Republic Newspaper

April 11^{th 2006, by Sonja Haller}

^{Deloris Williamson credits her association with}

^{artist LauRha Frankfort}

^{for helping lower her blood pressure and lick}

^arthritis.

^{First, there’s Qi Gong, the ancient healing}

^{exercise that focuses}

^{on breathing and energy flow, which Frankfort}

^{teaches. Second,}

^{there’s Frankfort’s artwork.}

^{The Paradise Valley artist uses her}

^{knowledge of Qi Gong (prono}^{unced chee gung)}

^{to create "healing" artwork.}

^{"Art has the ability to….release tension and}

^{calm thought, and give one focus," said}

^{Williamson, 62, who has three}

^{Frankfort pieces hanging in her Scottsdale}

^{home. "They give me pleasure, and when I say}

^{pleasure, I mean they’re}

^{calming and make you forget (any hurts)}

^{for a while."}

^{Much has been written about how creating}

^{art- whether}

^{in the form of music, sculpture or canvas-is}

^{therapeutic for the artist. Proponents}

^{of healing art say looking at}

^{creations with certain colors and materials,}

^{such as wood}

^{or metal, can help heal the observer as well.}

^{In a union of holistic healing and medical}

^{healing, Frankfort}

^{is married to long time Valley family}

^{practitioner John E Hensler. He’s supportive}

^{of her approach, and his office}

^{walls are covered with her work.}

^{The paintings in her husband’s}

^{Phoenix waiting room}

^{carry love as their theme. They are bright,}

^{warm, welcoming, and a touch whimsical.}

^{It may make the wait and a potential medical}

^{diagnosis less agonizing.}

^{"It helps get rid of anger and frustration",}

^{she said.}

^{In the Qi Gong theory, specific colors}

^{and materials heal, according to}

^{Frankfort. She works primarily in nude}

^{figures, blending color along the body’s}

^{energy lines that correspond to certain}

^{body parts. For example,}

^{a vibrant yellow might snake down a}

^{model’s figure against a black canvas,}

^{helping to heal the emotions}

^{of worry and stress and ailments associated}

^{with energy}

^{blockages of the stomach and spleen.}

^{People should note when they are attracted}

^{to the colors}

^{and textures in any painting, Frankfort said.}

^{It could}

^{provide insight into their emotions and}

^well-being.

^{"Intuitively, you know when you look and like}

^{a painting that’s healing for}

^{you." she said.}

^{Frankfort’s reputation has been growing}

^{through press}

^{attention, increasing commissions and her}

^inclusion

^{in a standing exhibit at the Goldenstein}

^{Gallery in Sedona.}

^{She also has had work displayed at Simply Artrageous}

^{in Scottsdale and The Hard Rock Casino’s gallery}

^{in Las Vegas.}

^{"People are more curious then ever before about it.}

^{" she said.}

^{Her paintings range from $400 to a few}

^{thousand dollars,}

^{she says, adding that they are purchased by}

^{people trying to heal from illness}

^{such as arthritis, she said.}

^{Linda Goldenstein, owner of the Goldenstein}

^{Gallery, said Frankfort will}

^{be gallery’s featured artist later this year.}

^{Goldenstein calls her work contemporary}

^{and innovative,}

^{able to say much with few lines.}

^{Gallery visitors can appreciate the female}

^{form and even}

^{Frankfort’s personality- a mix of New York}

^{born energy}

^{and Southwest originality-by viewing her art,}

^{Goldenstein said.}

^{"It’s very powerful when the intention of the}

^{artist is to}

^{imbue love and healing and energy into the work,"}

^{Goldenstein said. "Her work reflects that."}

The Arizona Republic/ Camelback Magazine/

June/July 2005

“Good Vibrations” Paradise Valley artist

defies categorization in life and work.

Story by Landon J. Napoleon

Trying to capture and distill

LauRha Frankfort’s

far-reaching essence into a succinct

profile is like trying to sketch the

Grand Canyon on the back of a

Bazooka Joe Comic.

She’s a multi-media artist, musician,

singer and one of the only five

certified Qi Gong instructors in the Valley-

of the Sun

“My main goal is to spread joy

and expression,” says Frankfort, 48,

in her Paradise Valley home.

“My whole life I’ve always been an artist

and musician.”

Frankfort-- perhaps now best- known

for her

healing art and figure

drawings- also plays in various jazz

bands, writes her own music

and teaches music. Her musical

DNA began to manifest at age 9,

when she started playing clarinet.

Growing up on Long Island,

she expanded to saxophone and bass

clarinet under the tutelage

of some of the finest teachers in

into Manhattan. “I felt so good when

I played saxophone or

guitar or sang,” says Frankfort.

“I guess I was in tune with

the energy and vibrations.”

LauRha began giving music

lessons at age 15 and by 1974 she

was a classical clarinet major with a

double minor in jazz saxophone

and printmaking at Indiana University

in Bloomington. Not even

that broad palette, however, could

contain her creativity. By the

next year she was living in Harlem

where she forged her creative

talent

amongst the world’s greatest jazz

players and teachers, including

private study with renowned blind

pianist Lennie Tristano.

“Manhattan is the Mecca of great

art and music and great

teachers,” says Frankfort. It was

a real life apprenticeship

that would cover the next 12 years.

Just as one would try and peg the artist

as a musician, this

self- professed “Year of The Monkey”

child began studying

everything she could- children’s book

illustration, graphic

design, etching, and figure drawing-

and then launched a silk

screening business that grew into

one of the nation’s largest

manufacturers of music T-shirts and sweats.

She moved to Arizona and found

Qi Gong- a sort of energy- producing

Chinese movement

technique aimed at enhancing relaxation,

reducing stress

and healing illness- and hone her

illustrative gifts in line

drawings.

“I think my teaching is the most

important thing I do,” says

Frankfort. “Teaching anything that

helps people to feel free and good"

Her chance to teach Qi Gong came

eight years ago when she

met Grandmaster Hong Liu, a healer

who has become a celebrity

of sorts with clients such as Julia

Roberts and Mel Gibson. Three

years ago, Liu asked Frankfort to

illustrate some of his medical

books, which brought her back to

illustration- a practice she had

missed. Her works capture the

pure line of the human, mostly

female, form.

“I was just so comfortable right away,”

says Sara Slotten, 28,

a model who began sitting for Frankfort

three years ago and still

does so twice a month. “I love her work.

She knows how to

touch the emotions inside you and bring

it out. She takes

the body and puts it in its purest form

with simple, elegant

lines,” says Slotten.

The finished products are generating

growing interest from

collectors and galleries alike, with

exhibitions at Simply

Artrageous in Scottsdale and the

Hard Rock Casino and Hotel

in Las Vegas. Frankfort uses metallic

inks on black, wood

and parchment. Without being overtly

sexual, the naked

forms are sensual with a sense of shy

innocence and playfulness.

“She captures the human form with

simplicity of stroke

and elegance,” says Adi Knishinsky,

26, director of marketing

at Simply Artrageous in Scottsdale.

Most artists, he points out,

would have to lift the pen or brush 10-15

times to achieve

what Frankfort does in a single line.

What she’s able to do

is capture an entire soul with a black

canvas and a gold pen,

” he says. “That’s not an easy thing to

accomplish.”

“We really enjoy her work both on

the canvas and on

stage,” says local fan Victor Valente.

“She’s a remarkable lady"

He and his wife Graziella have three

originals by

Frankfort hanging in their home.

“I like her composition

and the way she expresses the human form.”

“I went to an art show at LauRha’s house,”

says Jane Gordon,

44, co-owner of Gordon Creative Associates

in Phoenix.

“I like the way she blends the musical

instrument with

the person’s body.” She liked the works

so much that

several of Frankfort’s pieces are now

hanging at Gordon’s

office, including one in the main lobby

that she purchased for

her husband. “I would love to buy more,”

Gordon says.

Perhaps, then, the snapshot of Frankfort

becomes clear

not through more words , but in grasping

the connection between say,

the vibration of her cat purring and the

emotional energy that one of her line

drawings might evoke.

“Everything became one. I realized

everything is the same.

We just have different avenues

of expression.”

LauRha frankfort's healing art pieces-

created with a mix of

metallic paint and pastels-depict

various Medical Qi Gong Exercises

of Grandmaster Hong Liu.

Qi Gong emphasizes natural and

holistic healing.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ARIZONA WOMAN MARCH ISSUE 2006

EAST MEETS WEST IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH

Medical Qi Gong is the latest Eastern health

practice to take hold in Arizona

Since Yoga became all the rage in the United

States in the 1960s, Eastern-influenced health

practices have continued to find a receptive

Western audience. One of the alternatives in

the landscape is Medical Qi Gong (pronounced

"chee gong"), an ancient Chinese health care

system that integrates physical postures, breathing

techniques and focused intention in order to

promote health and longevity.

Much like Tai Chi, Qi Gong works on balancing

the body’s energy through a series of slow, fluid

movements. However, while Tai Chi aims for

overall relaxation and wellness, Qi Gong exercises

are designed to heal particular ailments, says

Paradise Valley resident LauRha Frankfort,

49, certified Qi Gong instructor. "We target

specific meridians, energy flows and the

yin-yang organ groups," says Frankfort, who

was certified eight years ago by world-r

enowned Qi Gong Grandmaster Hong Liu.

Frankfort says attendance at the courses she

teaches, which are open to the public at Scottsdale

Healthcare’s Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center,

has grown consistently over the years.

"When I first stared, I had maybe four

students per class," she says. She now

caps attendance at 15 people per class.

Perfect Complements

While Eastern fitness programs continue
to gain popularity- according to a 2005 study

in Yoga Journal magazine, 16.5 million U.S.

adults practice Yoga, spending $2.95 billion

annually on classes and products-the traditional
medical community and the public are beginning

to acknowledge the internal benefits as well.

"People are seeing that this is not an alternative,

it’s a complementary thing they can do in their

Western life with their Western doctor and with

no negative side effects," says Frankfort.

Sherry Zumbrunnen, 62 is a board-certified

holistic nurse and supervises the Piper Center’s

Body, Mind, and Spirit program, offering services

for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and

radiation. "I help (patients) determine how they can

be an active participant in their treatment," says

Zumbrunnen, who helps decide if the patient could

benefit from Tai Chi, Yoga, Qi Gong,

art or music therapy, meditation and/or relaxation techniques.

"It’s a complete package; it complements

Western medicine and works in conjunction

with it," Zumbrunnen says. "It’s an evidence-

based practice, which is really important to us."

That evidence comes from on going research,

including one study at the Piper Center where

Frankfort and Liu taught Qi Gong to10

patients in an effort to lower their blood

pressure. "The preliminary results showed a 20

percent reduction in the patients’ diastolic and

systolic numbers," says Frankfort.

Still, for services and managed care.

" while the medical community is starting

to embrace complementary medicine,

insurance companies are a bit slower to

cover the services. "A few (insurance providers)

are getting on board. More and more they see

the benefits," says Zumbrunnen. "Cigna really

is doing more and more holistic and complementary

therapies for their patients and staff. They’re leading the pack

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------LAURHA'S QI GONG CLASSES IN ARIZONA:

Desert Paradise 31
performance
of shape and
sound – and
emotion
By RaeAnne Marsh
“Cardiac Stretch.” This stance is the ending position to
one of Master Hong’s Medical Qi Gong exercises that
stimulate heart energy. The red flower symbolizes the
color and time of year for heart energy: summer.
LauRha, holding her soprono saxophone, sits on

Piestewa Peak. A lover of the
out-of-doors, she composes most of her music outside.
Known for sax and
singing, Valley jazz
performer LauRha
sometimes adds
an unusual element
to her public act: drawing.
“Art and music are one,” says LauRha,
laurhacreativeartist.com, observing that
sound and color both are vibration. And she
was precocious in both disciplines. At age 14,
LauRha gave private sax lessons, and in high
school started a mural painting business.
LauRha performs with her band, Shine,
at parties, charities, hotels and restaurants.
The drawing comes in when she plays at
gallery openings. “I take my easel and my
model, and draw in front of people so they
can see how it’s done.” She always enjoyed
watching her teachers draw, she confides,
but was hesitant at first about doing that
herself as performance. “You have to really
nail (the image) the first time,” she notes.
But now, she finds she enjoys it.
These dual-talent performances start

32 March-April2005
with LauRha drawing for a half-hour while
her band plays background music. Taking a
break from her drawing, she joins the band
for a 45-minute set. Then she goes back to
the drawing to finish it.
“I’m a line artist, which is all about
being ‘in the moment.’” She likens it to jazz
improvisation. “You get a split second to say
what you want to say.” How does she know
what she wants to say? “Sometimes I feel
like an antenna, with the inspiration coming
from the heavens and spewing out my mouth
and going out my hands.”
“My grandfather taught me to draw
when I was 4,” she recalls, describing how
she would frame a scene with her fingers;
say, “Click”; and take a mental snapshot.
“I learned how to visualize at a very young
age.” Seriously pursuing her art training, she
studied at the Art Students League in New
York, taking the subway in from her home
on the north shore of Long Island. “I lied
about my age so I could get in,” she admits.
(Curriculum included drawing the human
form from nude models, and the minimum
age for a student was 16; she was 13.)
At the same time, she was also studying clarinet
at Julliard. “I was fortunate to grow up where there
were a lot of great art and music teachers,” she says.

LauRha’s opening night at Simply Artrageous
art gallery in Scottsdale

”Wood Vibrations” on white birch with a chestnut wood stain. Wood vibrations emanate from
both the canvas and the wooden classical guitar. “Vibrations or Energy is the universal language
of Art, Music, and Healing,” says LauRha.

Taking advantage of it, LauRha learned to play 20 different instruments, and has played in
bands since she was 14.
LauRha left New York briefly to attend Indiana University on a classical music scholarship,
but found she missed the vibrancy and returned to Manhattan to play music in the jazz clubs
“and to do my art.” She was fortunate to meet Lennie Tristano, a pianist who played with Billie
Holiday, and trained with him for eight years. Himself blind, he taught her to play by ear. Now,
“Anything I can sing, I can play.”
Gallery performances are not LauRha’s first melding of art and music. She has an extensive
background in designing and licensing music motifs for music companies as part of a T-shirt
screen-printing business.
“I never thought I’d leave Manhattan,” she states. But she found herself buying lunch for
the street people in Manhattan, which “got to be very hard.” Then her partner died, and she
divorced, and it seemed a good time to accept the invitation of a friend who invited her to
come to Phoenix. “I couldn’t believe how friendly people were,” she relates, adding, “I’m so
grateful I came to Phoenix.”
Since moving here, LauRha has added another talent to her repertoire – one that ties
in obliquely with her music and art. She teaches medical Qi Gong (or Chi Gong), giving
classes at her home and at the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at Scottsdale Healthcare’s
Shea campus. “It helps (patients) feel better, and even get better.” Qi Gong is focused on the
energy flow in the body, and can boost a patient’s immune system and open the energy flow to
lessen the nausea, LauRha explains.
“I’m open to alternative healing even though I’m married to a family
physician,” says LauRha. So she was interested when, eight years ago, Master
Hong Liu – grand master of medical Qi Gong whose clients include Elton
John, Julia Roberts and Mel Gibson – announced he would be coming to
Phoenix to teach a beginning Qi Gong class. And luck was with her; she
was the thirtieth person to register – for a class limited to just 30.
Qi Gong is a healing based on the vibration of emotion. Explains
LauRha, “Emotions create different vibrations in the body, which affect
your internal organs.” In that way, it has much in common with the music
and art that have been so much a part of her life since childhood. Different
keys and different colors each set up different vibrations, and these affect
emotions.
So music and art – like Qi Gong – can also heal, LauRha
(laurhacreativeartist.com) points out. And she performs all three with
passion. .
DP
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

LauRha with Sara, one
of the models for the
images she draws while
people watch

”Buddha Hand.” This stance is a position from one of
Master Hong’s Medical Qi Gong exercises that stimulate liver
and gallbladder energy. Buddha Hand leaves are used in
healing liver disease.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Simply Artrageous Opening News Review:

LauRha Frankfort, or as she is known to her growing base of fans and collectors ‘LauRha’
dazzled the crowd Sat. Feb.21st at Scottsdale’s Simply Artrageous with a swirl of creative activity; music, spontaneous art sketches and heartfelt conversations with the patrons of one of the most unique new art and furniture boutiques to hit the Southwest filled the day with the type of multimedia experience typical of Toronto, LA, or New York City.

Patrons of this unique establishment were treated to an afternoon of music; compliments of LauRha’s band ‘Shine’, interspersed with demonstrations of freehand sketches of Sara, her professional model. LauRha’s drawing; gold on red, metallic inks on black quickly rendered sketches of curvaceous women lovingly embracing musical instruments, lounging languidly or being tenderly held in the arms of lithe young men adorned the walls of a store devoted to the art of artistic decoration.

With a mural of a Waterhouse’s mural, aptly titled;
‘Destiny’ as a backdrop, LauRha wailed the sax, smiled snapped her fingers to the sounds of the jazz, filled the cavernous space with the trills of a
clarinet and shared her love of art, music and the joy of performing with an overflowing crowd of entranced spectators.

LauRha’s artwork is on display and will be available for sale at Simply Artrageous, 9119 East Indian Bend Road, Scottsdale, and representatives of this wildly innovative establishment are available to assist in design and decorating consultation compliments of the store. If you missed the show, see the art. As one patron said
pointing to a drawing of a young woman’s long, slender legs, criss crossed and propped up on a wall, as if caught on a sunny day, at home, reading or listening to the soft sounds of jazz; “I could live with that painting, it’s beautiful, it’s comfortable. It’s me.

Written by JoAnn Richi - Arizona Republic

HEALING ART FOR THE MIND, BODY AND SOUL
Renowned Valley Jazz Musician Hosts Fundraiser for the Arizona Humane Society

October 27, 2003 - Paradise Valley, AZ - Valley jazz enthusiasts know LauRha Frankfort for her amazing saxophone riffs while playing with such bands Standing Room Only, Shine and The Swinging Saxes. Few, however, know that she is an accomplished artist and teacher of the ancient healing discipline, Qi Gong (pronounced chee gong). On Sunday, November 23, 2003 from 4:00 - 8:00 p.m., Laurha will host a by-invitation-only showing of her one-of-a-kind art that encompasses her passion for music, the beauty of the female body and the healing power of Qi Gong. Entertainment will be provided by her jazz ensemble, Shine.
LauRha's modern line drawings in metallic inks feature female nudes in various positions and with various musical instruments. While art and music have a therapeutic effect for most aficionados, LauRha has incorporated Qi Gong through color in all of her artwork.
"In Qi Gong, every color represents an internal organ. My art was created on differently colored papers representative of internal organs or overall healing. For instance, if a person is experiencing problems with their lungs, they would select a piece of art depicted on a white or silver backdrop. If they are overstressed, a drawing on a gold or yellow backdrop would be chosen," said Laurha. "The body has so much power...my goal is to help people experience a better quality of life by making a visual, mind and body connection to each piece of art."
Qi Gong is the technique of building, increasing and directing body, mental and spiritual energy and emphasizes natural and holistic healing. LauRha is a certified Qi Gong instructor in the Valley.

	"vibrations, our universal language. thank God for my tools!"