Client Art

Expressive therapy is more than just drawing and painting. Expressive therapy is facilitated by a professional therapist, and uses multiple artistic media to help clients identify, process, manage and cope with emotional stressors within a supportive group environment. Our “creative coping” group is a specialized and healthy therapeutic technique of expression for varying degrees of artistic talent and is easily embraced by many of our clients. Here are just some of their many stories:

Elizabeth P.

“As I painted this I sensed the hurt my brother felt when I came along in the family. My oldest brother having been born with Cerebral Palsy, the other brother in the painting had become my parents renewed hope and was the little prince until I came along. Now he was demoted to the middle child. He always felt so much was expected from him because my father, though a hard worker and good provider was usually away at work or drinking and when home causing a disturbance. He was in many ways the main support of the family.”

Leonard R.

“I use sphere shapes a lot in my work due to the circle of life and the meaning of full circle. I use a lot of reflective materials that give endless reflections in some of my work. This one I did at the early AM hours when I couldn’t sleep. When I use shades of blue as this one has, usually is a trade mark by means I was up all night and couldn’t sleep. ”

Chanty

“I paint my wounded child healing from the abuses she has suffered throughout her life. These sufferings left her child like though I am an adult. I saw confidence in her eyes, her mouth, the tilt of her head. She is confident going forth in the world even though the child in me remains as seen in the less detailed neck line and shoulders.”

Jenna W.

“Moving through my broken places and waking up to who I am as a whole person, I often feel as though I am walking through life with one eye open. One eye is open to everything as it is, and it is strong and capable. One eye is closed to all of the fear, hate, and ignorance. It is closed to everything within myself, and everything in the world that is pain, it can only cry. As the energy moves through my mind and body, and the healing process takes place, the crying eye begins to open. It is able to see with love and compassion, for myself and others, and it is strong too. I am becoming whole. I am becoming strong. I am becoming strong in my vulnerability with compassion. I not only can do it, I want to do it, and I am doing it. ”

Elizabeth P.

“I am not sure why the dead tree in the foreground was of interest to me at the time I painted the landscape, but there have been times that I felt like that dead tree amidst the rest of nature around me. The painting does not have a name, but it is expressive of my love for nature and poetry and the beauty of it. In Compass we discussed letting our thoughts just be and allowing them to just float along like the leaves in the stream of the painting. Perhaps this painting allows the viewer to do just that and find some spiritual peace. Life is rocky, so get used to it.”

Leonard R.

“This piece represents our lives starting out at a single point. It can be compared to a singularity and everything just emerging from the point going out in the vast world. My life was a void and a starting point was Spring 2015.”

Kevin H.

“I’ve seen my art work progress and don’t allow the past to get me down. Allow yourself to gain a hobby or profession that will create and teach you to share and enjoy. Art, to me, is sharing and creating a deep spirituality – which we can all obtain. Anyone can be successful and dream with hard work.”

Doreen

Grow As We Go

To Portage Path – Thank you for helping me to learn how to grow as I go! I am learning how to live the 5 core beliefs! I still have a long way to go, but I am on that journey because I have been given a safe place to explore, trust and grow!

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