Gallery: work and works in progress (part one) Studio Art Therapy ARTH 4973 Spring 2011 Joan Phillips, Instructor

This class is designed to push students with no art background to be expressive, learn a new media, think about their own art process and to relate these experiences to the approach in art therapy known as “studio art therapy”. This approach emphasizes exploration, a supportive and non-judgemental atmosphere, and the focus on the art process itself and less on the symbolic meaning in art. No one in this class is an art major or has any formal training in art.

As an artist my goal is to always put everything I have into my work. My love is mostly with photography and the process of making a photograph and the manipulated meaning that can be transcribed by a photographer straddling the line between reality and fantasy. Such as liquid emulsion. Placing an image on a surface it doesn't belong can change the meaning of the photograph itself, because now there is an implication through the medium being printed on. My goal as an artist is to become involved in the process of my work and continually create, but also to help people along the way. My passion for photography stretches to teaching others how to do it as well. I think it is a brilliant way for people to create their own realities using "real" things. We have all looked at something and wished to capture it in a certain way and reveal it to others, not just the way it is, but the way we see it. My decisions through photography are to help show others the beauty I see in things and help them see that beauty too Joseph Fletcher

I was inspired to paint this painting from a short story called "The Queen of Spades" written by a famous 19th Century Russian writer named Alexander Pushkin. This short story enlightened me on the importance of love and the dangers of greed. I feel like this story will help me in life. I painted a watch to symbolize my patience until graduation and a martini glass to celebrate my graduation in May Jason Stinehart

XV Broken and Burned It is important for me to say that when I think of discussing how I chose my art therapy project or the medium used, I honestly feel that it chose me. I really like how it turned out. It’s raw, askew, imperfect, burned, broken, destroyed. It’s true how it all just sort of comes out of you while you are creating art as therapy. Once again I am reminded of the power of this concept. Brandi Mills

Untitled This piece came to me in the very beginning, when I first brainstormed for ideas for this class. Again, it is a very personal project and represents the darkest time period of my life. The middle frame couldn’t have been more appropriate for my feelings. The final image in the series is a rough red heart that I painted on one of the black glitter pages. In the end, I guess they represent the three stages of what I’m going through: first of being broken, beaten down and needing to be put back together again; next is just pure unabashed anger and finally the process of healing, and for me, learning to love oneself again. Brandi Mills

The inspiration behind this piece of acrylic work came from nature. Nature is a wonderful and inspiring part of our world in which artists can draw inspiration from at all times. I am enthused as I look outside and see what God has placed before us on this earth. Colors blooming in every direction with eagerness and zeal for all to see. Taylor Brandwein

(Button Box) I wanted to create something that had a past and a future. I collected buttons that my mother and grandmother had used other the years. I decided to put all different kinds of buttons on the box. I wanted to think that each button told its very own story. After finishing it I decided I would call it the “Memory Box” because when I looked at it I have all of these great memories of my family and it is some I can pass down to my children one day. Bridgette Lile

To create art, I need inspiration and to get inspiration, I usually look at the world around me. This can be by taking a walk outside or flipping through a magazine. Before I start any project, I go through this ritual, and it helps expand my view of everything around me. As far as choices go, I enjoy mosaics because this involves my joy of looking through magazines and other publications. I look for images of things that I like or that I would enjoy, tear them out and put them all together to form the perfect collage. I prefer hues of red, orange, yellow and green to include in my art projects. Those represent “happy colors.” I don’t always have to flip through magazines, though, to get inspiration. Sometimes, it comes from just closing my eyes and thinking about what makes me happy. (Mosaic/collage) Bryan Dugan

I think my artistic drive and viewpoint is aesthetics in general. I love making and seeing beautiful things. My inner interior decorator is a main reason for my art. I usually make my art because it is something that I want in my home and I want it to be original. Brittany “Birdie” Smith