Artist Biography
Much of my work as an artist has been cultivated with the intention of capturing the inherent beauty and complexity of the natural world. I am deeply inspired by the way nature captivates each sense and seems to make the modern, technology driven world fade into the background. But it also makes me wonder: how can I connect these two seemingly divided worlds? The work of Andy Goldsworthy and Georgia O’Keeffe does just that. Goldsworthy creates art purely from natural materials, using the environment to his advantage without exploiting it. He utilizes nature as an avenue for artistic expression to process his thoughts and emotions. Similarly, O’Keeffe used her emotions about the natural subjects of her paintings in the paintings themselves, expressing them through color choice and technique. By bringing their own emotions about life and nature into their work, both of these artists have connected the human experience to nature.
Grounded arose from my attempt to bridge the gap between the natural world and the primarily indoor world we have built for ourselves. I believe that our connection to nature goes far deeper than we realize and has the capacity to heal the mind, body, and soul. The five paintings I have created in exploration of art, nature, and the human experience are titled Community, Growth and Discovery, Time, Connection, and Untangling. The paintings measure 30” by 40”, 24” by 24”, and 16” by 20” and were created using a variety of materials including watercolor, acrylic paint, and colored pencils. Grounded explores themes related to the relationships that human beings have with themselves, others, and the world at large, with a focus on the flow of energy between and within entities. My goal in creating this body of work was to find my own way of reconnecting the natural world with the human world while exploring how the collaboration of art and nature can benefit human health.
Thesis Abstract
This thesis investigates the topic of eco art therapy using an arts-based research method. Eco art therapy broadens the focus of traditional psychotherapies to include interactions with ecological systems as part of the treatment framework. Immersion in nature has been shown to have an overwhelmingly positive impact on human health and wellness. Past and contemporary artists have turned to nature for inspiration, grounding, and to express their interconnectedness with the world. Eco art therapy brings nature and art together in ways that allow for connection, reflection, and moments of mindfulness. In order to further explore this topic, the researcher engaged in an experimental arts-based research method that involved exploring through her own creative processes using a variety of art materials, some natural and some synthetic. Natural materials included tree stumps, leaves, pinecones, sticks, rocks, snakeskin, flowers, weeds, grass, tea leaves, acorns, and sunlight, while the main synthetic materials included acrylic and watercolor paint, paintbrushes, palette knives, and a drawing tablet. The researcher used an arts-based research method that involved exploring her own creative processes and interactions with nature in order to gain a better understanding of the topic under investigation. As a result, five acrylic and watercolor paintings on wood panels were created in an exploration of nature metaphor and human experiences. Reflections and discoveries on how nature can be used as a metaphor within artmaking in order to promote health, self-discovery, and community are discussed along with limitations and future directions for the practice of using nature-based methods in art therapy.