Healing + Art Making

So when I started my recovery, my colleague, Leslie told me I should use this this opportunity to make some art. As an art teacher, I struggle between balancing my creativity in the classroom and working to make art of my own. Usually, between my school responsibilities, parenting responsibilities and church work, I find little time to make work of my own anyway. I always have good intentions, but like many people with diets and exercise, I fall off the wagon. I have decided to work on that part of my life during my recovery and take this opportunity of time that I MUST sit and do little to make some art of my own.

Like a good friend, teacher and colleague, Leslie sent me the following text in an email on Monday. Leslie wrote "You must create an original work of art in whatever medium you choose. You have the freedom to choose the subject matter/message you wish to convey. You get to choose the size of this artwork, but you MUST complete it before you're allowed back to work!!!!!!!!!!! And....you must bring it to work with you so it can be critiqued by your Art colleague! So.....if you're running out of movies to watch, and emails to answer.....now you have an assignment!"

I went on a shopping field trip over the weekend (thanks Lorna for being my driver!) and some recovery money (thanks RRISD Art faculty!) I was given to gather some items to make art.

Soooo, today I worked on a first piece. Pictured above you can view the beginnings of a collage I started today. I am tentatively titling this piece, Slice. I used cards sent to me during this recovery period and have literally sliced them into layers --- much like my neurosurgeon had to slice into me and through layers of skin and muscle to repair my pain. Incorporated within the collage, I have put words related to the idea of healing. For me as an artist, I am taking simple images from people who have expressed care, concern and thoughtfulness for me and woven them together, layering them as I go within a collage to create a new image that holds personal meaning to me both as a person and as an artist. That's my beginning. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

My big question to Leslie is "Can I come back to work now?"