Sunday Sketches

Scribbling

Do you remember scribbling when you were a child? Or, better yet, getting accused of scribbling by another child who thought they were cool?

As an art therapist, I am aware of scribbling as the first stage of artistic development for a child. It is such a freeing feeling and can be very colorful.

I was having these thoughts as I scribbled with colored pencils to create my maple leaf sketch. What fun! It is the only way I know to layer color with this medium. Leaves are a favorite of mine and I could not resist filling a page of my sketchbook with a leaf in its last days.

Maybe it is symbolic of the year ending?



Happy New Year!

Murals

A new art expression for me......MURALS!

This July, thirteen artists, art therapists, teachers, organizers, and psychologists from Olympia, San Francisco and beyond will be traveling to Gaza in order to collaborate with Palestinian youth and artists to design, paint and document, A Tale of Two Cities - The MAIA Mural Project!

We will begin our trip with an orientation and training throughout Israel and the West bank, where we will meet with Jewish Israeli and Palestinian artists and activists.

The MAIA Mural Project will be a series of collaborative murals focusing on environmental justice, specifically water or ‘maia’ in Arabic. The group will work with youth and artists in Gaza to paint murals at sites of the water purification units that the Middle East Children’s Alliance (MECA) is installing at schools and kindergartens. The quality of water in Gaza has been eroded, particularly in the Israeli assault of 2008-9, creating a severe health hazard to which children are most vulnerable.

You will be able to follow The MAIA Mural Project as it unfolds on blogs, Twitter, Facebook and Flickr! You will find uploaded video interviews with Palestinian partners, giving you a real sense of our experience and all of the amazing individuals involved. This extensive documentation will become part of a growing global conversation about resources, water, solidarity, cross-movement building and non-violent resistance to oppression.

Example of mural in Olympia which will be incorporated into the project.

The leaf near the upper right corner with the bird of peace, OM, and world is the one I created.

There are many ways that you can support this unique endeavor! Donations of any amount will help towards airfare and paint! All donations are tax deductible and can be made at www.olympiarafahmural.org – click, MAIA Murals.

If you live in Olympia.......The MAIA Mural Project Café and One Big Drawing will take place on Saturday, June 18th from 5-10pm at Mariah Art School, 1403 Garfield Ave, NW, Olympia WA. Come enjoy a nice meal and drinks, and live acoustic music will begin at 7pm. Susan Greene, director of ORSMP and Ziad Abbas, director of MECA will introduce the project and share images from past projects in Palestine as well as the process of ORSMP and the MAIA Water purification units.

This will truly be life changing experience!

More of the Same

It is a well known fact that humans repeat patterns that are familiar because they are comfortable doing the same thing.

Today, being bold and brave lost out to staying in my comfort zone. I delighted in painting shapes with watercolors instead of layering pastels or creating contour lines as I thought I might try at the end of yesterday's painting session. That is not to say that I still might do that. Who knows where the creative mood will take me next time?

Here is today's watercolor painting continuation of the bougainvillea still taped to my drafting table and accounts for the weird angle.


I just realized in the photograph of yesterday's rendition the ominous shadow in the lower part is my head. Symbolic of my "head" being in the way of freedom to explore something new and different. Ah, the art therapist in me comes through!

Do you see my head?

What will unfold tomorrow?

The Healing Power of Art

Rita Loyd is an artist and writer. The theme of her work is the healing power of unconditional self love.

She made a video called "In Search of Self Love" that has been accepted into the international on-line film festival called SPIRIT ENLIGHTENED on cultureunplugged.com. It is currently in fourth place out of over 300 films.

The video tells the story of how the creative process taught her to love herself after experiencing abuse and illness. As she tells her story she paints the image "embrace all that you are with love."

She feels that this video could help a lot of women find healing.

Here is a direct link to the video.

As an art therapist, I highly recommend watching this video. Rita and her husband did a fabulous job creating it.

Edmonds Library Art Show

Library Features Artwork
by Joanne Osband & Mary Ann Hall

The Edmonds Arts Commission is pleased to present an exhibit entitled “Art and Healing” featuring work by Joanne Osband & Mary Ann Hall. The exhibit at Edmonds Library runs now through January 31, 2010. Library hours are Monday-Thursday 10 am to 9 pm, Friday 10 am-6 pm, Saturday 10 am-5 pm and Sunday 1-5 pm. The Edmonds Library is located at 650 Main St.

The current exhibit explores the use of art in healing. Joanne Osband, a trained art therapist, has used her skills in the public school setting, in private practice and most recently with the elderly population in nursing homes and as a Hospice Comfort Care Therapist. Art has been her personal expression since early childhood. She has explored many media, finding watercolors her passion of the past 25 years, fascinated by the flow of water and pigment on paper. Osband incorporates torn paper shapes (recycled former paintings) in her work and has recently added water-based oil paint to the collage painting to provide greater depth and deeper color. She begins each painting with the thought, “I wonder what will appear?” She usually begins with quick applications of color and then plays with the negative shapes to bring forth images. Her deep love of nature is evident in many of her pieces.

After 25 years of teaching school, Mary Ann Hall decided to learn to paint. When she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, she studied Lucia Capachion’s method of writing and painting with the non-dominant hand and gained strength through being in touch with her inner child. Hall’s artwork is spontaneous and playful with bright colors and ornamentation. She has shared her painting knowledge and her journaling with friends. Through this remarkable process Hall continues to heal and gain courage. Her inner child’s voice constantly reassures her that there is hope, valuable lessons to be learned, and enough love and support to carry her through the death of her body. She hopes others will gain insight and inspiration from her work.

Watercolor NOT A Difficult Medium

It seems that I frequently get the same comment when I am a participating artist at an art show..........."watercolor is difficult!"

The art therapist in me understands that most people think this way because watercolors is on the very loose end of the art medium continuum. Pencil is at the other end because it is a medium that can be controlled. The majority of people like to be in control and are uncomfortable if not. Thus, watercolors place them in a challenging situation where they are "out of control" and have to do something about it. Most people do not welcome this feeling or the challenge.

Joe Garcia, a famous watercolor artist, does not believe that watercolors is the most difficult medium to use. In his opinion, "Anyone can learn to paint with watercolors; however, a person must be willing to start with the basics. That starting point is the wash. It is the foundation of watercolor painting. Learning to control the wash will open the door to the versatility and creativity of watercolors. This knowledge will allow you to tightly render or loosely interpret your subject."



Quail
Watercolor
Joe Garcia

Waiting for Inspiration

Wikipedia defines artistic inspiration as sudden creativity in artistic production.

Where does inspiration come from?

Today I was hoping inspiration would show up if I went into my studio. I did not know what to paint? I sat at my drafting table where I create my watercolor paintings and waited. Do I create a collage or a more traditional watercolor painting? What is the subject?

My discipline is to paint at least twenty minutes a day. I felt frustrated, yet compelled to put paint to paper. Many times when I am emotional or wanting to make some connection with Self, I paint a mandala; a Sanskrit word meaning holy or magical circle. Basically, I paint inside a circle which becomes a meditation. Maybe if my mind were quiet, inspiration would find me.

Being an art therapist, I am always asking myself the significance of the images which appear. Today it was a duck with something, figurative-like, on its back. I painted playfully and wondered.

I am beginning to believe that there is a process to spark the creativity whereby inspiration visits. It comes from engaging in art. As the saying goes, "just do it!"

Art with Hospice Patients

Today I had the pleasure of facilitating artistic expression with one of my Hospice patients. This gentleman had been a sculptor most of his life creating portraits in clay.  A very fascinating individual!

I contemplated whether to bring in clay or not as sometimes it can frustrate people who were experts at their crafts.  Many times I find myself sharing how artist change styles to help lessen the desire to create as they had done in the past.

This patient immediately began to manipulate the clay and a broad smile spread across his face. I have noticed when people hold and work clay in their hands that they are inclined to talk freely.  In the art therapy world, clay is considered a "loose" medium;  meaning less control as opposed to pencil or markers. I have always wondered if it also meant a loosening of verbal exchange because that is characteristically what happens when clay is present in my sessions.

My sculptor friend insisted throughout our time together that the most important part is the base for everything else is built upon that.  I could not help but think of that as a metaphor for life, and this gentleman is imparting his wisdom to me at the eve of his lifespan.  Like a sculpture, the key to who we are as a person is at the very foundation.  We build upon that base to become the best person that we can be. Thank you, Paul.

Art Speak

I have been creating mandalas in watercolors to assist me in processing the recent loss of my mother. I find that during the meditative process of creating a mandala that thoughts and visual images appear. In my second mandala painting the shape of a hummingbird appeared.

The hummingbird happens to be my totem animal, and I took notice of what it might be telling me. According to Native Americans our fellow creatures, the animals, exhibit habit patterns that will relay messages of healing to anyone astute enough to observe their lessons. When you call upon the power of an animal, you are asking to be drawn into complete harmony with the strength of that creature's essence.

It is said that hummingbird conjures love as no other medicine does, and that hummingbird feathers open the heart. Without an open and loving heart, you can never taste the nectar and pure bliss of life. To brother and sister hummingbird, life is a wonderland of delight - darting from one beautiful flower to another, tasting the essences, and radiating the colors. Hummingbird sings a vibration of pure joy.

I am honored by the presence of hummingbirds; this winter as I was painting and a hummingbird showed up at the window, at my mother's funeral reception a hummingbird joined us, and while I was painting the second mandala in the series processing the loss of my mom this hummingbird image appeared.


Having just finished reading art therapist, Shaun McNiff's book, Trust the Process, I will re-frame from adding meaning to this mandala. Shaun believes that it is important to contemplate images with the attitude of withholding judgments or explanations of any kind. He says the interpretation of art can be approached as a tantric discipline that reflects upon visual qualities. He asks, "Why is it that we fell the need to respond to visual communications verbally?"

What do you think?