While painting, my mind switches into a different mode. Everything else pretty much is oblivious to me. For me, and I assume many other artists, painting is similar to meditation experiences some people describe. Sometimes it takes a while to get into what I like to call “the groove”. Once I’m in that groove, I start perceiving things differently than usual. This is what allows me to see the values, shapes, and colors I need to create my painting. During this time period, information rapidly flows to me. If I get interrupted, it takes a while to get back into it and I may lose track of where I was.
Yesterday, I started my 2nd session on my third painting out of 10 planned for my May 2020 exhibition and book. After being absorbed into the painting process for hours, I looked down and noticed I was covered in blue oil paint. If you aren’t familiar with oil paints, some of the blues are very intense. By intense, I mean it’s a very saturated color that is hard to remove.
This just proves how deeply absorbed I was into the painting process. I literally had no idea I had this anywhere other than my hands. I was nearly covered from head to toe. Paint was
- On my shoulders
- On the front of my legs
- On the back of my legs, goth hamstrings, and calves
- On my Chin
- On my Face
- All over my hands
I believe that because once we are absorbed into the creative process, we can somewhat lose touch of our surroundings, is the reason art therapy is growing.
Are you an Artist that loses yourself in your paintings too? If so, I’d love to hear how your experience compares.
Also, if you are an Art Therapist, I’d love to hear your views on how this relates to therapeutic benefits.
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Written by Tina A Stoffel
