“Experimenting with themes and creative processes from the perspective of a psychotherapist.”
When I was a child, I remember travelling much of the time and always having a feeling of being uprooted. When I started to paint seriously in my local London, Ontario studio, I began with painting tree roots. It is curious to me that this was at the same time that I settled in a house where I have remained since that day. I soon discovered that working in series exploring a theme or particular subject resulted in psychological narratives somehow inadvertently manifesting in my art. Stories were expressed in the art that related to themes of what was happening in my life. What I saw in my art and in my process creating art, seemed to challenge, provoke and mirror back how I engage with the world, relationships, life and being. Through my process, I discovered that art can be a way to elevate my connection to myself; a form of mindfulness meditation that creates a visual snapshot of the present moment and how we engage with it. It serves this purpose in my own life as well as many of my psychotherapy and coaching clients. Starting with a blank canvas, one is faced with unlimited possiblities. So begins the journey of experimentation, the opportunity for playful exploration, pause and reflection, discernment, choices made that lead to a sort of excavation of what matters, what we love and value and ultimately what we want to be all about.