I started a weekly paint party on Thursday morning with 2 classmates from art class this morning.
Being artists of course, none of us finished in 2 & half hours & will have to finish as homework before we meet again next week. But the conversations were great for bonding.
We had a few hiccups getting the butterflies onto the painted canvases but after that it was smooth sailing except for running out of time. It seems us artists will have to do ours in 2 sessions or a full day session. I did mine on canvas paper because I'm going to run out of storage space for canvas paintings & accidentally misplaced the tracer hence it's coming off the paper at the bottom. It's still messing with my "not good enough" issues but I've been told it indicates movement. However, this is not about fine arts or perfect painting, but merely for fun, fellowship & building community with other creatives. It's about reconnecting with our God-given creative identity & learning to give myself permission to create & enjoying the process so no expectations & no judgement...
Expressive art therapy is the use of creative arts as a form of therapy & is a fantastic field that has proven to work wonders in many people's lives. Painting, just like many of the arts, is therapeutic & provides a conduit for emotional release. It can help someone express themselves, explore their emotions, manage addictions, & improve their self-esteem.
I believe GOD created us to be creative & my aim is to create an environment with an atmosphere where people can feel free to relax & express their God-given creativity. I aim to create community & connection whilst having some creative fun.
This is about creating a safe space to play with paints & sharing God's love through art.
It's about loving & serving others.
Edited to add my first painting:
Lai's completed painting:
We're still waiting on Val to find the time to complete her painting.
Lai's completed & then amended painting.