2021
In September, I completed Supervisor training which will allows me to counsel anyone who uses art in delivering therapy. At present, I have 32 hours of supervision to complete before full certification. It has been a wonderful experience connecting with other arts therapists during training – nationally and internationally. So, I am now available for supervision should you feel you require it.
Apart from seeing my usual art therapy clients, I’ve been working on a large landscape painting of the view from Saint Helena overlooking Byron Bay and the beautiful sweep of coastline northward to the mountains. I also enjoyed illustrating a friend’s book of poetry ‘Flyaway Girl‘.
2019 and 2020
In November ABC Classic FM radio united people from all over Australia in the virtual “ABC Classic Choir”, singing a new Australian Christmas carol “Christmas with you“, composed by the opera singer Deborah Cheetham. It expressed the yearning of those separated because of COVID19 restrictions. I thoroughly enjoyed learning and rehearsing (we had online lessons) and the feeling of participation in the choir. Thank you ABC Classic FM and I hope there are more collaborations with us in the future.
About 1,500 people sang. (In the video from 24 to 33 seconds from the start shows me, in the third row from the bottom, fourth from the left near the C of the word “Can”.)
Towards the end of 2020 I finished painting an Australian dinosaur, Muttaburrasaurus, for David Joffe of Natureworks in Brisbane. It has been quite a journey gathering information from the Queensland Museum from the fossil bones found at Muttaburra, and then the prehistoric plants and environment at that time 90 million years ago. The Director of the Museum informed me that I could decide what the skin looked like as there was no evidence so I found an image of the fossilised skin of a similar dinosaur (Iguanodon, or bird-like) to follow. Painting the scales was a mindful, meditative experience which filled in lockdown enjoyably. The finished artwork may be viewed on the ‘Illustration‘ page, including some short videos showing me painting it. Thank you David for a fascinating brief right in my area of interests.
U3A Art Appreciation continued with a growing group of enthusiastic people – a mix of artists and those interested in art enough to want to understand it more. I sometimes have a drawing session or include art therapy activities so the art becomes more subjective, experiential, and less threatening to those who haven’t done it before.
In 2020, U3A was closed from March to July. I was amazed that so many returned under some restrictions to either present a session on an artist or participate in discussion. It has become a wonderful time together and we look forward to more next year.
Group art therapy at the Women’s Health and Resource Centre in Lismore in 2019 went well with the first six months being an open group and the last six months being a closed group. The difference is an open group may have different participants each time and a closed group has the same people every session. The closed group may develop a sense of working together, trust, and intimacy as they get to know each other. It has its benefits in becoming more empowered to choose which direction will be most beneficial for the group. In 2020, we had one session and then COVID restrictions put the group on hold.
The Anglicare group art therapy also progressed well in 2019 with a large group of refugee women, and sometimes babies, being very responsive to any activities presented to them. Unfortunately, there were no groups in 2020.
In 2019 I taught art therapy at the Ikon Institute, which was a revelation to me. I enjoyed the subject matter and the students were diverse in artistic experience. It gave me an insight into how to teach this subject, and I decided it was ‘with difficulty.’ As with any art therapy experience involving another person or a group of people this was full of surprises. After this, I returned to my individual and client groups with renewed appreciation for their acceptance of my facilitation methods.
May 2018
I enjoyed going “back to school” by spending a few days attending a Julian Ashton life drawing and classical portraiture class in Sydney.
March – April 2018
I presented a few workshops in the local area.
February 2018
Having had a busy two months with the ANZATA conference and the Transformation exhibition, I’m spending Feb re-gathering myself. My University of the Third Age (U3A) art appreciation classes at Ballina resume for this year, and I have my monthly art therapy workshop at my home. The mural “Transformation” has been donated to the Lismore Womens Health Centre and they intend to display it for International Women’s Day.
January 2018
“Transformation” Exhibition, Serpentine Gallery, Lismore NSW, January 23 to February 5.
Liz Dowling, Jo Kelly and Kate Naylor. This show is a coming together of three art therapists working in the Northern Rivers in New South Wales to explore how art therapy has transformed their own art.
A large mandala 2 metres in diameter was created in three layers and stages by all three to express the transformation message. Other works included an image arising from a scribble, sequences of unfolding emotion, and an “Inner Critic” which is dressed in a clown outfit for its mocking aspect. The show has been well received by the Northern Rivers community.
December 2017
9 December. Clown Workshop at the ANZATA annual conference 2017.
I presented a clown workshop for 21 participants at the “Envision, Gather, Create” Conference in Melbourne. It was open to clownish behaviour with its range of personality traits: extrovert, introvert, cheeky, sneaky, teasing, all in spontaneous playfulness. All these came into view through costume, makeup and a variety of circus acts.
As facilitator, I soon realised my control of events was diminishing when some clowns escaped from the room to surprise and taunt the unwary outside the workshop! The level of participant satisfaction was assessed by drawing before and after the ‘performance.’ Here are some of those drawings:
before after
Early December. At present I’m preparing to give a clown workshop at the ANZATA/ACATA Conference in Melbourne in December.
Also, myself, Jo Kelly (ANZATA President) and Kate Naylor are working towards an exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery, Lismore, from January 23 to February 5 2018. All are welcome to attend the opening on January 26 from 5pm to 8 pm. The exhibition is art therapy based and there is an interactive component for the public.