Art-Making for Healing

"Bright Happy Apple" acrylic on paper, 5"x7"

by Cindy Mott McGarry

"Art is a constant agent of transformation and is indeed the soul's drive to health."

-Cathy Malchiodi

Art-making is a wonderful tool which can be used by anyone for the purpose of healing. Scientific studies have shown that art-making heals by altering a person's biology and outlook. The body biologically shifts from a state of stress to very relaxed. Emotionally, an attitude of fear changes to creative thinking and inspiration.

Inspiration - Stimulation of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity.

There is a huge connection between emotions and healing. Changing sad or negative emotions into happy ones creates a happy and healthy body, mind and spirit. Positive emotions have a positive effect on your whole being. If one can find what type of art-making inspires them in a positive way, then this can be a natural and lifelong aid in healing and staying healthy.

Expressive art in any form transforms art-makers and viewers. The subject matter can be as simple as a blade of grass because it is the unique expressive technique of the individual that is original and magnificent in itself. If a person or patient begins creating, finds it difficult to stop, believes she/he went to a different place mentally and felt lost in deep thought, then she/he has most likely found an artistic way to bring about healing.

I believe one way art-making can help a person out of a hopeless feeling or situation is to visualize their goals. This can be accomplished by using their imaginations to express their ideal situation with the use of art supplies. If self-doubt is present, then offering encouragement to see themselves differently (in a more positive light) can help with the whole process.

Heart, Brain to Body Activation

"Blue Morning Glories"  24"x30" oil on canvas

by Cindy Mott McGarry
Two originals Sold
Giclee prints available on My Website!

"The body achieves what the mind believes."

- Jim Evans

So many times I see a painting in my mind, get excited to begin painting, but yet the actual execution lingers ... What I have learned over the years is that it helps to be very inspired before committing to beginning and finishing a painting. Once I feel something pretty powerful it is easier to begin creating.

What gets me inspired are color combinations and how light plays on subjects. A quality photograph with clear value differentiation of an interesting composition can trigger the needed level of inspiration. Once I get my mind focusing on what is exciting about a vision, then the intensity of producing that vision gets stronger. It helps greatly to have the studio space ready for painting, otherwise I can get distracted and the clarity of shapes and colors might run right out of my mind! When using oil paints I loosely lay the dark colors down first ... then quickly lay the focal point in with the darkest dark and the lightest light!

I try to simplify the next phase of the process by sticking with similar values of different colors (medium to dark colors) in shadow areas and similar values of different colors (basically pastel colors) in brightly lit areas. Sometimes I also like to create disappearing lines with gentle blending and use stippling of light and dark in opposite areas to unify the painting.

Heart (Inspiration) + Brain (Imagination) = Body Activation (Hands Making Art)!

Have fun!

Dark Light Blend

Painting by Dominic Vignola, 12"x16" oil on canvas

As an artist, it is fun and challenging to take workshops every so often. Important tips can be learned from experienced artists that can stay with you for the rest of your career. Sometimes the instructor's voice comes into your conscious mind at just the right moment while painting. One of my favorite and most valuable landscape painting instructor tips came from Dominic Vignola.

Vignola repeated the words "Dark, Light, Blend" throughout his demonstrations of laying down dark oil paint, then laying down the light oil paint colors where desired, and then blending the two. It sounds almost too simple to work as well as it does. He knew how to do it very well. By contrasting the dark to light, and then blending, you achieve a unifying flow of the two which creates a whole image that shows light and shadow.

This simple tip comes into my mind during every painting I create now. Of course, there are many other questions and problem solving thoughts that come to mind, but this one is key, I think. An artist's unique style comes from all the choices made about which dark and light colors to blend and where and to what degree they are blended. Then, laying those last crisp lights in, by brushing or splattering, to draw the eye to a particular area, is like the sugar on top - that fun and intense final step!

It's very important to loosen up and break the rules, but remembering certain tips that help you achieve your visions will serve you well. Rock on and paint your hearts out!