Monday, November 02, 2009

"Art Therapy"(self portrait) 24" x 24", Acrylic on Canvas, 2009

I have been doing a bit of research on Art Therapy recently and I have used myself as the model in this piece to depict the surge of hope and spark of life that Art Therapy can bring into an Individuals life. This individual may be finding it hard to cope with various negative symptoms and experiences in life, but all of a sudden the individual is able to recover, reconnect and get revived through creating art, self expression and a renewed sense of belief in ones self through creative means.



Most of the strokes in the dark areas of the background in this painting are the negative words and experiences that I personally struggle against, while the calligraphic strokes in the brighter areas are actually positive, motivational and inspirational words that have helped me remain focused in the most difficult times and experiences in my life.

For this whole piece I have used the new Winsor and Newton Acrylic on canvas. I developed this piece with a "sketchful" force and tried to keep that vitality throughout till the end.

10 comments:

Diane M. McKnight, MA, LMSW, Art Therapist/Psychotherapist/Artist said...

I really enjoy your use of color here and the very positive stance your subject is taking in this piece. It reminds me of a sword fighter getting ready for a match. Keep creating art as you study art therapy...the more we understand about ourselves the better art therapists and healers we will become.

Victoria on Okinawa said...

Excellent!

dominique eichi said...

Wow, what a beautiful, energizing, strong and powerful self portrait.
Yes the spirit is strong in you ( the blue line) = )

Robin Weiss said...

I love the idea of art as therapy and the added dimension of using your given artistic talents to help others through hard times...My first impresion of this painting was of a jedi knight sriking the force of negative thought with his light saber-brush...=]

Edward Burton said...

Fantastic piece, Adebanji!

adebanji said...

Thanks Diane, Victoria, Dominique, Edward and Robin!

Alex Zonis said...

Beautiful, forceful and creative. A really positive piece. Love it! It doesn't hurt that the model is so good looking... :)

Mariano Couso said...

muy bueno este trabajo

adebanji said...

Thanks Alexandra!

Gracias, Mariano!

sub-conscious said...

i admire your work a lot. its really inspiring. d expression is banging!