Painting as therapy

I started painting as professional development and self-awareness work as a trauma therapist. I did whatever came to mind and then found out that there was a name for it - Process Painting. I did some workshops and was intrigued by what came up. I saw it as a form of self therapy but did not go much further. After a serious car accident and brain injury, I went back to it (once I remembered) and again found it therapeutic, especially since I was experiencing aphasia and couldn’t really verbally express myself.

Over the next couple of years, I did two 2.5 day and two 5 day workshops with Annie Rousseau of the Painting Experience. These workshops helped me immensely and I consider them, along with Annie’s excellent facilitation, to be pivotal in my managing and recovering from brain injury.

I then took some workshops (Tracy Verdugo, Ardith Goodwin, John Fullerton, Robert Burridge to name a few) and the enjoyment continued, along with the ability to focus for longer and longer times if doing artwork, and I was making things that people liked. It wasn’t hurting my brain! Yay!

I work intuitively. I have tried to plan and it makes my head hurt. I don’t think, I just do. With painting, I usually start with several layers of acrylics, oil pastels, charcoals and sometimes paper. I love experimenting with colours running together and how textures influences form. I keep at that, editing and adding as it feels right. I turn work repeatedly. I repeat these steps until something talks to me.

I seem to lean towards creatures, and see eyes, then find the rest of them. At some points I try to do things like think about composition and balance. If I remember. I mostly just do. I usually have several pieces going at once, because I am impatient for things to dry! I tend to work big and would love to have the space to go over 36x36”

My paintings have been described as colourful, playful, weird and energetic. People see things in them that I don’t, which I love. Painting makes me happy.