Grace: the act of moving and doing with ease; the lack of strife in action; a wondrous way of being.

Gazing upon the artwork of the Five Graces — Debbie Grayson Lincoln, Laurie Justus Pace, Conni Tögel, Diane Whitehead and Mary Joe Zorad — one immediately sees the wonder, the movement, the flow and grace of the finished piece.These five women share as many similarities as they do differences. Their artwork demonstrates a common credibility and commitment to a high standard of workmanship. To speak with any one of the five women reveals a commonality in what inspires them and how they choose to live their lives, with integrity and a commitment to doing their work for a higher cause. Each feels her creative inspiration as a passionate and natural calling.

From strikingly diverse backgrounds — as a daughter of German immigrants, as a Missouri transplantee, from Texas to Indiana — these talented and acclaimed women reached across the country to come together, to offer the world an opportunity to experience the joy of what they create.

There is no shortage of accomplishments among this group of women. An American President and music producer Quincy Jones are among the many who have artwork from this group in their private collections. This group of artists has been published in several national and international magazines, and their work is found in galleries and collections around the world.The artwork takes form in many different mediums and styles, but never fails to embody a common element. Whether it’s a watercolor or an oil painting, a French landscape evolving or a horse taking form, the existence of “goodness” is always present in the finished piece of artwork.

Think of these artists, then, as swans, as harbingers of that goodness. For that is what these five uncommon women have in common: the grace to bring their gift to the world with ease and to offer it simply for what it is — the opportunity to experience the purest form of “joy.”