intro to art therapy
Acrylic on Canvas
16x20
This was my first painting. Other than a few sip and paint events, I had never painted before. I found a YouTube video by The Art Sherpa and followed step by step. I had never speckled or dripped anything before. I was quite proud of how it came out and I decided to keep going.
elephant
Acrylic on Canvas
11x14
Painting #3. I followed another YouTube video to complete this painting. I learned to trust myself. I used different colors than what was suggested in the video and I found myself a bit frustrated with the outcome. But I quickly learned to just trust my instinct as opposed to trying to make every detail perfect.
Dewanda Wise
Acrylic on Canvas
16x20
I named her Dewanda Wise because I was channeling my best Nola Darling! I felt very artistic and I felt at peace with expressing myself through art. Painting #2 was also a YouTube video.
be @ peace
Acrylic on Canvas
11x14
I saw this painting on @tyra_powers IG. She named it "Tough". She added a video where she sketched it out and I followed. As I painted this piece, I felt at peace with each brush stroke. I connected with this painting. It was more than making it pretty for me, I was healing.
Maurine
Acrylic on Canvas
8x10
A few friends came to visit me as I painted "Maurine". This was the first time I painted with others around. I was really connected to the painting as well as the energy in the space that I had created. This painting brought harmony, not only in the colors but also into my physical space.
happy
Acrylic on Canvas
12x16
This painting was difficult to start. I was feeling very low and sad when I sat down to paint this piece. I found it very interesting that the colors turned out to be so vibrant and the painting gave such a happy vibe. This painting was exactly what I needed at that moment. I had begun to learn to let go and let the healing take place during the painting. I named it "Happy" because the piece asked me to. This painting painted itself.
naked
Acrylic On Canvas
12x16
An obvious name for this painting LOL. I really should have named it "Enough". I went through a rough time accepting my body after I gained quite a bit of weight due to antidepressants. While painting this piece, I felt that I was enough, with all of my stretch marks, extra pieces, lumps, rolls, dimples - all of it was enough. Self-love is also a major theme in this piece. Ella Mai's Naked played and I realized that that "someone" who I want to love me naked is ME! I also painted this one naked.
trust
Acrylic on Canvas
8x10
This was painting #5 and the first painting that I didn't use a YouTube video as a guide. I was proud of how this came together, as I was a bit nervous about the sketch. I just saw a picture I liked, sketched it and painted it. I felt very alone when I painted this, hence the grey background. However, the added pink and yellow represent that good ole Black Girl Magic that is always within me.
loch raven
Acrylic on Canvas
12x16
My husband and I travelled to Loch Raven Reservoir to paint this piece. I wanted to paint in nature. I wanted to know what that felt like. To be honest, the bugs were a huge turn off, but I enjoyed creating this piece of art and attune with nature.
sacral chakra
Acrylic on Canvas
16x20
I painted this one naked, obviously. A friend of mine told me that if you paint naked, it will activate the right side of the brain. I'm going to guess that it happened because this painting painted itself. I was feeling lonely, again, during this painting. This piece represents ying and yang for me. It is an artistic expression of me embracing the masculine parts of me, connecting with them and creating wholeness within. I felt complete.
the high priestess
Acrylic on Canvas
12x16
I had a long chat with my cousin about some of the things I was feeling at the time. What she doesn't know is that while we were talking, this painting popped into my head and I stopped listening. I set up my paints station and I went to work, pouring all of those emotions onto canvas. I embraced the calm parts of myself and the wildly emotional parts of me and integrated them into one beauty.