In Awe By ‘Imagine Van Gogh’ Exhibit

By C. A. Bryson

Last week, I went to the Vancouver Convention Centre to see ‘Imagine Van Gogh: The Immersive Exhibition.’ It was awe-inspiring: there were cathedral-like high ceilinged digitized representations of Van Gogh’s works, on the four massive walls, a truly panoramic experience, accompanied by an evocative soundtrack. (The exhibit is not recommended for those with epilepsy, because of the loud music. I venture to say it would not be appropriate for those with dementia either, because of the noise and all the people.)

Tickets are $39 for Mon-Thurs and $49 Fri-Sun. Masks are worn throughout. There is very good signage on the way to the exhibit, making it very easy to find.  The URL for the exhibit is:

Vancouver Information

Accueil

Imagine Van Gogh continues through September 2021. It seems the larger-than-life images reflect the larger-than-life personality of artist Vincent Van Gogh. He studied on his own intensively for years and then moved to Arles, Provence in France where he painted his famous ‘Sunflowers’.

In his own lifetime, he did not sell very many of his works. In fact, there was one time when he owed money to a creditor and so put 40 of his paintings in a wheelbarrow and wheeled it to this person who then refused the paintings as payment. His wife reproached this man (her husband) for at least ‘not taking the wheelbarrow’ from Van Gogh! Tragic. Yet what a legacy he left for generations to come.  I had the pleasure last summer of completing a ‘Paint-Your-Own-Masterpiece’ copy of one of his paintings. (The image above)

And now, as promised, here is the recipe for Middle Eastern Mint Lemonade, for your enjoyment on these hot summer days. It is very refreshing.

Limonana (Middle Eastern Mint Lemonade)

(Neighbourhood Get Together: Favourite Summer Drink Recipes (North Vancouver City Library, Summer, 2021)

Ingredients:

½ cup sugar

1 ½ cups water divided

1 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed from 4-5 large lemons

½ cup mint leaves relatively well packed, around 60 leaves (I didn’t use this many)

2 cups ice cubes

Instructions

1. Put the sugar and ½ cup water in a small pan and warm over gentle heat until the sugar dissolves. Set aside to cool.
2. Put the sugar syrup, lemon juice (I only used about ½ cup, and the drink was still lemony), remaining water, mint leaves and ice cubes in a blender and blend until the mint leaves are well chopped up and everything is combined. It will be slightly frothy.
3. Pour into glasses and serve.

Enjoy!

Until next week: Bonne chance and bon courage! (Good luck and have courage).

Sacred Symbols: The Meaning of the Spirit Stones

by C.A. Bryson 

Spirit stones, as explained by artist Gisèle Granier (artplace.ca), is a type of art that conveys love and peace. I am sharing this soothing activity with you because creative art offers contact with our ‘anima’, which is the feminine source of nurturance. And when we are caregivers, we give and give and sometimes forget to nurture ourselves, thus, one fun way we can give ourselves that vital nurturance is through art. And we don’t need to be gifted artists to do art, since in a way, we are all of us artists, or at least, we have that potentiality within us. Therefore, begin that journey today by exploring the inner artist in you. 

To my mind, spirit stones echo the famous ‘runes’ (painted stones made by pagan peoples) of long ago. 

You have your choice of designs, like flowers: 

See: ‘How to Create Spirit Stones By Painting on Rocks’ 

How to Create Spirit Stones by Painting on Rocks

Or, if you prefer, you can paint iconic images of animals, each animal symbolizing a particular quality (i.e.the frog equals happiness; the whale equals power, the deer equals wisdom). This is a little more challenging, but if you can draw, have a go (but use a very small paint brush like 20/0). Once you’ve made the outlines of your animal, you can add colour, finish with varnish. 

(See above image for ideas. These are some of my recent creations) 

Finally, you can just stick on evocative words using a label machine. (You can find the rocks for $5 a bag at Home Depot, or also try dollar stores or Michael’s is a good bet.) 

Here is a list of words you might consider (with a few of my own), taken from Catherine Pratt’s 

‘Confidence Activities-How To Make Your Own Spirit Stones’ 

https://www.life-with-confidence.com/confidenceactivities-spiritstones.html

confidence serenity luck 

happiness wisdom health 

laughter courage passion 

joy hope strength 

peace believe trust 

magic success forgiveness 

love harmony ‘Home Sweet Home’ 

(Tip: If you’re using black text, it works better on lighter coloured stones.) 

For me personally, I use a block of Sculpey (clay for crafts, also DAS is good), in black or grey (ochre for DAS. DAS is made in Italy and is available in craft stores, online, or even at Wal-Mart) and bake and paint them. This means I create my own shapes. The other advantage is that they’re nice and smooth—no bumps. Also, if you want, you can experiment with metallic paints, to get a different look. 

You can see some of the ones I’ve made from the image, from time to time I add more animals. The animal part evokes the natural world and therefore they have the power to heal the weary urban spirit. 

Here’s a suggestion: get some clear plastic gift bags and some ribbon and make yourself some original gifts for friends and family. Even better, practice ‘Art Abandonment’ and just drop them off at some random location for a stranger to enjoy. 

Happy crafting (it’s a really relaxing activity by the way.) 

Colour Your Life: An Introduction to the World of Art Therapy

By C.A. Bryson

Most of what I will write about art therapy, which is still quite new to me, comes from an article online entitled: ‘An Introduction to Art Therapy: A Brief Guide to Art Therapy as an Intervention for Anxiety, Stress and Depression’ by Andrew Wright (2014)

https://psychologymatters.asia

First of All, a Definition:

Art therapy involves the use of creative arts to express and reflect on emotional states with the guidance of an art therapist. It can help people express issues that are difficult to talk about. Art therapy can help a person struggling with anxiety, anger management, stress, OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and eating disorders.

Certain memories of traumatic experience, if not expressed, can affect brain development (such as in children), therefore, art therapy aids this process of recovery. Interestingly I took a course on the Psychology of Colours through Great Courses and learned that young children who have experienced trauma almost always draw in black and white and not in colour until they are more recovered. 

What Art Therapy Does

Art therapy helps you express what you feel, unlike an art lesson. This process is what is important, more than the product, as what might be in the case of an art lesson. Also, art therapy must be provided under the guidance of a trained and registered Art Therapist (with at least a Master’s degree.)

It is not important whether an individual is skilled in art or not. Art helps stimulate the mind and hence aids the healing process.

How Can Art Therapy Help?

Art Therapy can help adults who feel ‘stuck’ emotionally. Creating art can help capture long-buried feelings. This process is perceived by the client as being less threatening than expressing their feelings verbally.

In this way, making art is ‘hands-on’ and therefore a safe way of expressing emotions. It can help people who are not inclined to talk about their feelings.

For example, art therapy can act as a helpful adjunct to more traditional treatments, such as medication. Interestingly, (as mentioned above) art therapy also helps children, in fact, all ages benefit from art therapy, in terms of self-expression, and in children’s cases, emotional development.

How Can Art Therapy Help Older Adults?

Art Therapy is equally helpful to older adults. Crafts, for example, are a safe, non-threatening, small ‘a’ art form that can be enjoyed by all, regardless of ability. This is why in the recent past I posted on the art of making Worry Mandalas. Anyone can do it as long as they follow the steps. It can even help self-esteem because you feel good from having made something unique and beautiful with your own hands. 

Personally, I enjoy paint-by-numbers. (You may recall the image of Van Gogh’s ‘Terrace at Night’ painting from last week.) I made that using a ‘Paint Your Own Masterpiece’ kit from Royal & Langnickel (URL follows). The way I see it, there’s nothing to be ashamed of in engaging in small ‘a’ art. In fact, I find that because of doing art I appreciate the Great Masters all the more. 

Just for fun, I will include a link to a company (run by artists) who can construct a paint-by-numbers kit digitally using a family photo of a person or cherished pet, for example. I will post the pet portrait I’m doing now on future posts, and you can see for yourself how magical it is. The company’s name is ‘Mii Creative’, and they sometimes have sales, so check them out!! (Note: The Mii Creations paint-by-numbers kits require quite a bit of skill.)

https://canada.michaels.com

https://miicreative.com

By the way, the image above is partly a design I did long ago and partly some Victorian font lettering I leaned from a book on lettering ‘Handbook of Lettering 101’ by Chalkfulloflove
Lettering is fun to do and it improves your handwriting immeasurably.

Lastly, I will tell you about some Art Therapy available free of charge right here at home:

CMHA (Canadian Mental Health Association) North and West Vancouver

Art Therapy for Wellness

Wednesday Oct 21 from 11:45 AM to 1:45 PM

Click on the link to join via Zoom.

Home

I attended my first CMHA Art Therapy for Wellness class last week and I actually found my painting skills improved because I felt supported by the group leader and the other participants, it seemed a safe place to share also. 

Another thing I recommend if you’re interested in art is to check out the book ‘Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain’ by Betty Edwards.

I found her teaching very ‘freeing’ and was amazed by the results.

The way I see it, painting is just another way to practice mindfulness. As you lay on the colours, you just enjoy the process of making art and try not to think of worrisome thoughts.

So have fun and get creative!

C.A. Bryson