Art Shows: Healing Power of Art

This art show is a story of coming full circle. My first piece is a lithograph I created around 1980 while studying art here at SIU. I named it "Beyond Outer Surfaces." I had no idea at the time what that would mean to me as an art therapist who guides others to express subconscious thoughts through imagery for insight and healing. Collaborating with fellow artists who create for emotional wellness has been powerful.

"Art can provide a window into the subconscious life of its creators. The subconscious mind is a hidden reservoir that stores memories, experiences and notions that drift beneath the surface of conscious thought. It's a place where roots of creativity intertwine."

Listening, viewing and holding the traumatic stories of survivors over the years has been an honor. Witnessing their transformation and growth has filled my heart with light. However; vicarious trauma or compassion fatigue is the darker side of holding those stories. It is often called the cost of caring. The practice of self-care is vital in focusing on the light and not being fearful or falling into the darkness. Like my fellow artists, self-care for me is rooted in nature and creativity.

As a kid I gravitated towards the curiosities of the natural world. Nature came alive with colorful flowers, lush green plants, fragrant herbs. I quietly listened to the music of insects, butterflies, frogs, birds as I explored neighborhood creeks and the woods at my family's clubhouse. Nature kept me grounded. Drawing and painting those visions of childhood keeps me rooted in creativity.

I am fascinated with the teachings of Carl Jung. His theories about dreams, symbols, archetypes, spirituality and mandalas influence me as a therapist and artist. My mandalas are filled with symbols of transformation, growth, wholeness, the light and the dark. They are a homage to vintage botanical drawings that I love. My process is to gather from my gardens, assemble in the circle and let my creativity take over. Each mandala tells a story. This collection of stories brings the subconscious to the surface and beyond. Full circle.

“My mother is one of the most creative people I have ever known. I often say that I believe that she has made at least one of everything. While this may not be technically true, it is true to say that she has a mindset of constant creation. She holds the ability to find a novel use for most any loose material, a fine-tuned skill fueled by her endless curiosity and insatiable willingness to make something new whenever possible.

My childhood memories are woven with remnants of fabric, thread, wood, tacky glue, paint, scissors, discarded magazines, paper mache projects, and whatever else she might ordain as a craft supply on any given day. This relationship with creativity has served as an important touchstone for me throughout my life and is a defining element of my own identity. I not only find comfort in creativity, my wellbeing depends on my freedom to explore, the time it gives me to think, the ways it literally shapes and colors my life, and the mental connections I make while engrossed in the process of creation.

While my full body of work is made from a variety of media and methodologies, I began regularly painting with acrylics when my youngest son was born. Acrylic paints were a practical choice for my days spent caring for a newborn, older children, and an aging parent with dementia. There were no toxic chemicals being released into the air, they were easy to use, were perfect for playful experimentation, and I could start and stop quickly as I responded to the needs of my family. It was also a time in which I was reckoning with my own mental health and learning what I needed in my life to thrive. I was discovering that a drought of creation was detrimental. I needed its respite to survive. I needed vibrant colors to light my way through dark I not only turned to my ancestral creativity in the arts for healing, but also to my ancestral traditions of connecting with nature and caring for my garden. I developed a rhythm of spending my springs planning and planting, my summers growing and taking photos of my garden, and my falls and winters surrounding myself with sunshine soaked images and painting portraits of the flowers I had admired over the past year. I never intended to spend my life painting flowers, but nearly 20 years later, I still find a never ending cycle of inspiration and awe in each bloom. Each flower is a reminder of the ephemeral nature and beauty of life and its passing. Each painting is an offering to those seeking peace, comfort, color, and joy in their days.”

“Curiosity running rampant makes me lose track of the wonder that inspires my work in the first place.  Backgrounds confound me.  I get so tangled up in the possibilities.  It’s hard to choose.  The question of what makes a story worth telling stops me dead in my tracks.

That’s where the magic of acrylic pouring comes in.  Not only does it solve all my control issues, there’s an element of surprise –another layer of complexity emerges that’s beyond my ken.  I love that.  A marbled masterpiece emerges that looks like a stained glass window or a kaleidoscopic piece of stone.  Suddenly, I’m free to explore what I can do to make a piece speak.  The challenge is volleyed and thundered straight to my heart.  The spark ignites.        

I’m loose!  Now I can spend all my time on bringing fur and feathers to life.  I love the geometry of them.  Get the look right, and they’re as awesome as a dew covered spider’s web in sunlight.  Beautiful without needing to explain why.

The thrill is sublime when curiosity fades and wonder takes root.  Ideas I want to share become conversations I want to lead.  Then when we touch spirit to spirit, my chi grows beyond its normal sphere.  And like the old Chinese proverb promises:  “A bit of fragrance always clings to the hand that gives roses.”  We both win.  I like making art that opens us both up to that.  That’s what heals me.”