And Still the Cactus Blooms

Adi Martinez

• Adi's Artist Statement

  During the final stretch of the pandemic in early 2021, I started hitting a lot of “stuck moments” with my brain—like its trains of thought kept getting in each other’s way. 

  Any time my brain just refused to follow me toward where I wanted it to go, I always knew it would at least be willing to make a swatch of color. My brain really loves playing with color. 

  In choosing to lay out all of these moments together, I thought, this way, at least one pretty thing could come out of this time. 

  I painted with watercolors at first because they are inherently less predictable than other media. Forcing myself to make mistakes within small, contained surfaces and call it “finished art” was extremely helpful for learning how to soothe my hyper-perfectionistic brain. Eventually, I was able to graduate to mixed media, including mica powder, acrylic paint, and permanent marker. 

  In the spirit of transparency, I organized the swatches in the order that I created them to prove to myself that unplanned randomness did have a place in my creative work, that things can indeed be unexpected and still make you happy. 

  If you come to a “stuck moment” like this, I invite you to make your own color swatch. Take any small piece of paper or cardstock, tape a border around it and onto a flat surface, and think about how you’re feeling. What color is it? Is there a texture to your feeling? Is there a pattern you can draw to describe it? Maybe you want to doodle something about it.

  It doesn’t have to be pretty or complicated. It doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else. It doesn’t even have to be your “best work.” It just has to represent something for you. 

Alejandra Deleon

• Alejandra's Artist Statement

  The theme of my paintings is the change within my family relationships throughout the pandemic. Before the pandemic, I was living in the dorm, while my family was living in another state. Because of this, I did not see my family often, which led to us not being as close. Now, during the pandemic, since I have moved back home, this has been the most time we have spent together. 

  The pandemic has, in a way, improved my family relationships. I wanted to show that through my art. When I was brainstorming ways I could show growth, change, and love, all I could think about were hearts, and the colors red and pink. So, I thought it would be an interesting idea to show my family relationships within the hearts like cartoon thought bubbles. By doing this, it showed how the growth of each relationship was meaningful to me.

  Creating each heart gave me time to reflect on each relationship. Within each heart, I painted moments that happened during the pandemic. The moments I picked were significant because they took place during celebrations that brought the family together. For the painting of me and my cousin Sebastian, I decided to use a solid red background because I felt as if it showed that our relationship still needs improvement. My relationship with him has barely changed.

  For the painting about my brothers, I divided the background in half. It looks as if the red is fading into pink. I wanted the red to represent how we were not close. For a while, my brothers were strangers to me. I had no idea what was going on in their lives or basic facts about them. I wanted the pink to represent that I have gotten to know them a little better. For my painting about Penelope, I picked multiple shades of pink and red to show that I view Penelope as my second child. Pink represents all the love I have for her, while red represents all the moments I missed while I was gone. I also used white to show that this relationship has become the strongest during the pandemic.

Anna Mae Becker

• Anna Mae's Artist Statement

  My research into dreamwork has inspired me to practice art therapy methods along with my journaling process. During these last few months, several dreams, in particular, have stood out to me. This final piece is a compilation of four dreams I have been investigating.

  My materials include a watercolor paper accordion book, multimedia paper, watercolor pencils and paints, felt tip pens, and a variety of multimedia including cotton balls and nail polish. The accordion book allows me to create separate panels for each dream, or story, I document. If you open one set of panels at a time, it shows dreams individually. If you pull out all the panels at once, you may observe each story as part of a whole. Elements merge from one panel to another to show an ongoing visual narrative.

  Collage allows me to take pieces of my work and play with placement. I use this to explore how these parts hold space within the work and within my process of investigation.

  Pens or pencils allow me to create marks that are easy to make and are fixed. Watercolors are less easy to control and require a certain amount of care and intention.

  In my research on art therapy methods and dream journaling, I was surprised to find that preference in art materials or mediums can be reflective of the self. For example, my preference for felt tip pens and collage: these mediums are indicative of my desire to get control over my process, or over my emotions. By contrast, using watercolor, one must be prepared to submit to the fluid qualities, practice patience and accept some loss of control.

  Documenting dreams through images can allow one to more easily come to understand a dream’s meaning. Learning how to use dreams as advisors and helpers has been an absolute pleasure. I am excited to further develop my practice and use of art therapy with dream work.

• Details
  

  February 20 

  I’m walking along a path. People tell me to be wary of this area. There is a shed that has been overtaken by the earth. Only the roof and a window show. There are berry and tomato plants nearby in abundance. There is something very nefarious about this place, like there is something dead but not gone. In the distance, I see an assortment of stones. Stonehenge esc. Very ancient. It’s a very ominous setting.

  Suddenly I am in a clock tower. The clock is striking down and everyone seems to be preparing for the worst. 

  Pterodactyls are swarming from within the tower and flying in all directions. 

   

  

  March 3

  I have to hide a cup for Merlin who is imprisoned for taking it from a king. The king believes I’ve assisted in Merlin’s capture, but instead I’ve been tasked with hiding the cup, not even that far from the site from which it was stolen. All the king likes to do is look at it; he doesn’t need it. 

  I place a decoy in a small cave under a tree. It is filled with rocks.  

   

  

  

  March 12

  Donald Duck and I, in disguise, are in a wagon riding down a trail.

  The sky is dark and rain clouds spill heavily onto desert hills. They have eyes and are watching me. I’m drawn to a portal; I am told not to enter. The portal, it feels like I’m stepping into a game, like Fortnite. Once you go in, you cannot get out. You must beat everyone to survive by cutting them into pieces with scissors. They transform into photographs of themselves before I strike.  

   

  

  April 18

  Water World

  Looming danger. The buildings are starting to twist and warp. 

  Those lost souls are frightening.

  I like sharks. They aren't as scary, but they mean something sinister.

Emily Heidler

• Emily's Artist Statement

  For this piece of work, I chose to paint myself surrounded by every plant that I own. The relationship that I have with my plants has been a big part of my life through the pandemic. They were there to give me a routine when mine was ripped from under me. As new leaves sprouted, I grew along with them. I supported them while they were growing, and they were able to provide me with cleaner air and a sense of accomplishment.

  The materials that I chose to use were a combination of acrylic and watercolor paint. I chose acrylic paint because it is what I am most comfortable with. It represents the control that I have with myself as well as each houseplant. I chose watercolors due to their fluidity. Watercolors are not precise, and they have a lot of room for moving out of my control. The watercolors represent how I had no control over the pandemic. They also represent how I can provide a plant light and water, but I cannot control how or where the new leaves will grow.

Gabrielle Johnson

• Gabrielle's Artist Statement

  In my piece, I work to resemble how pain impacts my life and how I experience the world. The contrasting colors of red and blue reveal the cycles of pain that course through my body, the red being a burning, stinging pain, while blue shows a more numb, emotional pain. 

  Each stroke follows a pathway of pain, the shape being an infinite spiral that flows through each part of my body. Different types of pain impact us in a number of ways, whether that is emotional, physical, or spiritual, and in some ways, I might say that pain is necessary to the human experience. 

  The outer edge of the piece represents my aura and the positivity that I have found living with chronic pain, as well as the light and inspiration that I draw from self-discovery in nature. The process of this piece includes many layers of paint to represent how various types of pain can overlap, last over time, and how we might remember our pain in the future.

  This process allowed for a thick cracking effect in the paint that brought up intense memories of pain, but as I create more layers, I am creating another thicker layer and growing more resilient. Additionally, various found objects and materials adorn the spiral to create more layers of depth and rigidity that lie within the relationship between chronic pain and mental illness.  

Kat Tumber

• Kat's Artist Statement

  My work explores the connection between art, nature, and healing. This blends the healing powers of spending time in nature and creative expression. I have been blessed in my life to have the constant presence of nature. Growing up I lived in Rhode Island, only a couple miles from the beach. Recently, I decided to move to New Hampshire to be closer to the mountains. Living in the White Mountains has granted me great accessibility to the outdoors during a year of little social interaction. For as long as I can remember, creating art and being around nature has provided me a space to relax, reflect, and feel grounded. Both art and nature have been tools for personal growth throughout my life. As an art therapy major with an interest in holistic psychology, I have developed a passion for holistic healing. All of these factors have greatly influenced my art this semester and allowed me to gain a new perspective on my art-making process.

  I have spent a lot of my time creating art that centers around nature. This allows me to feel an interconnectedness with nature, as well as express how I am feeling. The outdoors has acted as a place for me to process thoughts/emotions/experiences. The creative process has provided the same benefits. I often bring my sketchbook on varying outdoor adventures to sketch out any inspiration I pick up along the way. This empowers the creative process to be brought into nature. I also collect materials for my mixed media projects in nature (leaves, rocks, shells, sticks, ferns, etc). This practice can act as one way of accessing nature through artistic creation. Throughout my studies, I have found great interest in topics such as forest bathing, ecopsychology, and eco-art therapy. I have explored these topics in both my final painting and sketches this semester.

  My final piece, ‘Yellow Painting,’ is an abstract exploration into sunshine, warmth, light, nature, spirituality, happiness, healing, and the color yellow. The image guided me in my creative process for this piece. I have found that by taking a therapeutic approach to my art I open myself up to more imagination, reflection, and self-discovery. The imagery I saw emerge from this painting was highly representative of the growth I feel I have experienced this semester. For example, in the top left corner, there is a handprint sticking out representing to me a wounded inner child. Altogether this painting is very layered in its meanings and symbolisms. My spiritual connection to nature and art is represented harmoniously. I have a newly found love for the color yellow. I feel fortunate to have found further inspiration in my new home state.

Lillian Sandberg

• Lillian's Artist Statement

  I cultivated transcendent moments within the landscape of my backyard. I shared intimacies with the lilac bush, made bouquets of Dandelions, and sat quietly listening for the sounds of my neighbor’s livestock. Background details have found their way to the forefront of my experience. In this piece, themes of color and texture have been derived from my earliest adventures. At the center is one of my favorite photos of myself as a child that was taken by my brother with our mother’s film camera.

  I have always been captivated by the series of images he had taken of me that day, for their lighting and how perfectly he captured my personality. I remember that day vividly: the way the lilacs perfumed the humid air after a summer shower. Surrounding this image are the flora which I have found myself captivated with throughout my lifespan. In each petal, in each leaf, I see their unique color mixtures—sophisticated by small shifts in hue. For their individuality, their complexity, I identify with them. I do not see myself as one color, or type of person. I am a million different people, places, experiences.

Owen Simpson

• Owen's Artist Statement

  A plant grows from a tiny seed to something big and beautiful, the ultimate transformation. Typically, this elapsed time of new life is contained inside something plain and meaningless. Here, growth is contained in a piece that represents this same process of transformation, but to describe myself as an art therapist.

  Until I made this piece, I gave myself very little credit for what skills I have been developing throughout my education. Breaking down old cups and plates, I found the broken pieces to represent my experiences and skills I have gained throughout my life and my time here at Lesley. Through the process of gluing the pieces together to create something new, I relate this to how my artistic identity has developed within the last few months. In the end, I have created a sense of self that will allow me to use my knowledge as a guide through upcoming ventures, just like this reconstructed flower pot will hold and foster growth.

Venita Figueroa

• Venita's Artist Statement

  In Roots & Ripples, I envisioned myself transforming into the person I am becoming and reflecting on how I can continue overcoming obstacles and growing. By grounding myself in my environment and utilizing my resources, represented by the roots growing from my skin, I can connect to a greater whole self on a spiritual level.

  I am actively becoming my higher self and am guided by her on my journey. I initially created the figure in the pond to represent my higher self-emerging, with the help of my current self. However, I have come to understand that both figures are simultaneously my current and higher self in different stages of development. Though at times, I may struggle following my intuition, I rely on my creative process to bring me back to my most authentic self. While painting, I continuously ask myself how the aesthetic decisions I make are representative of my truth. Additionally, I wonder what decisions, actions, or realizations I have to make to progress in my journey of becoming.