Local painting fetches $6K for Tennessee hospital
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SNOWSHOE -- A painting by a local Tucker County artist raised $6,000 for Vanderbilt University Medical Center during a country music star’s charity event this month.
For West Virginia artist Xandria Maurer, who is based in Snowshoe, a painting created for a Nashville benefit carried a connection far deeper than the landscape it portrayed. On Oct. 10, Maurer joined country music artists Phil Vassar, John Anderson and Trace Adkins for a privately ticketed gathering at Vassar's Nashville estate, supporting Emergency Services at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Maurer’s contribution, an original painting titled Heartbeat of the Mountains, “brought the spirit of Appalachia to an evening rooted in gratitude and giving back,” a press release announcing the contribution states. The painting raised $6,000 to support Vanderbilt's emergency services.
Both Maurer and Vassar have survived life-threatening cardiac emergencies, the press release states. In February 2019, Maurer suffered a stress-induced heart attack while Vassar survived a heart attack and subsequent stroke in 2023. For Maurer, the experience inspired her to pursue a long-held dream of becoming an artist, and for Vassar, it gave new meaning to supporting the medical professionals who help others survive.
"When we began putting this together, I knew I wanted Xandria to create a painting for the event,” Vassar said. “Her work is amazing.”
An award-winning singer-songwriter whose career includes 10 No. 1 hits and two American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Country Songwriter of the Year honors, Vassar hosted the Oct. 10 event of music and fundraising, with Anderson and Adkins showcasing their talents. Velvet Rope Collective coordinated and produced the event.
Created specifically for the benefit, Heartbeat of the Mountains is part of Maurer's Into the Heart of Appalachia collection. The painting depicts water descending through stone and light, gathering strength as it moves through a mountain landscape. The falls and rushing stream suggest a steady pulse -- an expression of endurance, renewal and life continuing through change.
"When you have the opportunity to give back to others when your own life has been truly blessed, you consider it an honor," Maurer said.
The painting’s themes reflect Maurer's own experience, the press release states. A medical crisis became “the catalyst for a creative life,” and the work that followed became a way to contribute to the care of others.
Her Into the Heart of Appalachia collection explores both the beauty of the region and the enduring strength found within it. At Vassar's estate, that connection between landscape and resilience took on another meaning: a mountain painting created by one survivor in support of the emergency services that give others the chance to begin again.
More information about Maurer and her artwork can be found at awakenimagination.com.