For an art therapist I have always been supremely rubbish at attributing meaning to my own work.
My natural language is visual and I have felt a real reluctance to ‘reduce’ the meaning to mere words. It seemed to threaten the multi-layered element and I never wanted to prescribe what to see in it. I’m more interested in people being able to see whatever they see, and there not being a right or wrong way.
Over time I have come to understand this as something I learned early on. Words were the enemy; harsh shaming and reductive. Art was my refuge, my hiding place and playground.
Over the years I’ve learned that of course this is not a binary business. Words are tools and in the right hands can make beauty, meaning and magic. I’m friends with many writers and I’m making friends with my own ability to write and express my creative passions.
So, these images are details of my work I photographed today to make business cards. What do you see?
I see depth, vibrance a love of jewel colours. They often feature figures, but not in a dominant or realistic way. By writing about the visual world it can enhance, not diminish.
In other news it’s not too late to join my mixed media course Natural Inspiration. Over here We’ll be looking to nature for deeper understanding. One of the projects features writing as a portal for art.