Simple, yet thought provoking and expressive designs are a common theme in Peta Thompson’s creative work. Her art explores personal narratives, combining prose with symbolic images, abstract work and portraiture. Narratives that are clearly influenced by her work in the community as an art therapist, and teacher.

Peta’s work invites people to delve deeper into her expressed concepts by extending on her images and adding texture and sculptural elements to her pieces. A journey, she says, that was fostered by her love of art journaling.

“I have a number of elements to my art. I love to journal and create in a book that is easy to store or on loose-leaf pages that I bind into journals. This started my art journey and I have since grown into fine art as a further development of my work that is ‘auditioned’ in my journals… I’m very community focused, which is expressed in my teaching activities. I love people, their expressions, uniqueness, personalities, quirks and like to try and bring something of that diversity to my work.”

Statue of a Woman, Peta Thompson

“I love people, their expressions, uniqueness, personalities, quirks and like to try and bring something of that diversity to my work… I love the vibrancy of our (Logan) community. We hold a richness of different cultures in our city and we embrace and welcome everyone.”

Peta’s work in the community reaches even further. At a District Rotary Conference in Roma she painted 10 paintings and raised almost $2000 for the Drought Relief Fund as well as contributing paintings of chickens for the Chickens for Charity Project. “I make little chicken cards and prints and all the money goes to buy chickens for widows in India. They then become more self-sufficient and run little businesses around the sale of eggs, chicks as their flock grows. This is the do good, feel good part of art that I love,” Peta says.

Boris the Chicken – Peta Thompson

Peta’s first exhibition is ‘Environmental Elements’ at Miami Marketta on September 28. The eclectic range will be an interpretation of the community, the environment and our consciousness, where she incorporates her internal and external environments into her works.

“I think my early years influence my desire to live and create more ecologically and to explore my environment in my art… I am fascinated by trees and bird nests and the cycles of life and ecosystems that occur in nature.”

Bark Mixed Media Canvas, Peta Thompson

Winter Flowers, Peta Thompson

Through the use of earthy tones and the interplay between colours, emotions and natural cycles ‘Environmental Elements’ promises to challenge viewers to delve into different layers of their internal and external narratives and think, explore and feel.

Autumn Flowers, Peta Thompson

Want to know more about Peta?

You can catch her at her upcoming exhibition: Miami Marketta 28 September.

She is also curating an art exhibition at Canefields Clubhouse in conjunction with the Rotary clubs of Loganholme and Logan to showcase the work of the members.

Canefields Clubhouse, Meadowdowns Drive, Meadowbrook, 18 November 2016, Exhibition ‘Recesses of the mind’

Peta also teaches mixed media art at Canefields Clubhouse at Meadowbrook, Logan Women’s Health and Wellbeing centre at Beenleigh and mixed media art journaling at TJs Scrappin with Style in Logan Central.

Peta also conducts art therapy workshops as part of Logan City Council’s Krank school holiday program and Logan City Council’s Live Well programs for women and teens in Logan.

Website: www.missladypetal.com – where she has works for sale, blog, my monthly teaching calendar, including art therapy workshops.

Missladypetal Creations Facebook Page

Missladypetal twitter: @missladypetal

Missladypetal Etsy store

Peta Thompson Art Therapy Facebook Page

Ali.x

Sebastian Petrik joined us for our panel discussion for this last month’s podcast ep. It is a little late (again) because there was soooo much great content in this episode and we just could not fit it all in. We are toying with the idea of including an uncut version for subscribers in the future, let us know if you’re interested.

This month we explored the benefits of ‘art as therapy’ and the ‘therapeutic benefit of arts on society.’

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: iTunes | Android | Stitcher | RSS

Seb’s new project that he mentions can be found here:

The Search For Awesome

Logan Art Gallery’s public programs with information on their Dementia Program:

http://www.logan.qld.gov.au/facilities-and-recreation/arts-culture-and-heritage/logan-art-gallery/programs 

“Art + Dementia is a discussion-based tour of works of art to provide intellectual stimulation and social inclusion for people with dementia and their companions. Facilitated by our trained volunteers, the participants are encouraged to contribute knowledge, engage in interpretation, express emotions and recall memories. Involvement  in this nationwide program has been shown to increase well-being and quality of life for participants. If you or someone you know would benefit from this program, please contact Logan Art Gallery on 3412 5519 or via email artgallery@logan.qld.gov.au”

Info on the proposed cuts and changes to the publishing industry:

http://theconversation.com/carnage-in-the-arts-experts-respond-to-the-australia-council-cuts-59368>

https://www.change.org/p/scott-morrison-save-australian-literature-stop-parallel-importation-of-books?recruiter=67818012&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=autopublish&utm_term=des-lg-share_petition-no_msg&fb_ref=Default

http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/may/20/authors-condemn-book-copyright-and-import-proposal-as-massive-own-goal

Info on how arts contributed to GDP in the US as an indicator for Australia.

http://musicinaustralia.org.au/index.php?title=Arts_and_Cultural_GDP_in_the_United_States

The Connection Between Art, Healing, and Public Health: A Review of Current Literature

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2804629/>

https://www.anzata.org/

https://acata.org.au

All in the Mind Podcast = Young minds, the highs and lows

<http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/allinthemind/young-minds2c-the-highs-and-lows/4054982>

The link to Head Space in Meadowbrook

http://headspace.org.au/headspace-centres/meadowbrook/

Info on the affects of music on the brain

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201212/the-neuroscience-music-mindset-and-motivation

As always, if you want to join in the conversation, please leave a comment on the blog below or connect with us on Twitter or Facebook. If you want to get involved send us an email using the contact us form on our Submit page.

And please share!

See you next time,

Ali & Grant 🙂

Sam Randall employs the use of colour, detail and layering to portray fierce images that invoke a feeling of connection, whilst portraying universal narratives. The intensity of her colours are often juxtaposed by dark backgrounds, lending weight to the foreground, but also giving us the sense that there is always darkness lurking within and around us.

Sam Randall Montage 1

Sam describes her work as complexly simple, and it is at times confronting. Her interest in subculture, folklore and ancient Japanese and oriental art shine through in her use of particular plants and animals. Her striking use of skulls, often decorated and layered in bright flowers and plants, may represent stories of impermanence, transition or freedom as in the Mexican lore, Dia de los Meurtos (Day of the Dead) celebrations. We might also see narratives of transcendence via the natural life (and death) cycle, as in traditional Japanese culture.  Sam says:

“Technically, I am influenced by Surrealism, Abstraction, Impressionism, and Pop Art. All these genres influence my work in very specific ways. I’m inspired by life stories, subculture and folklore, symbolism, traditions, particularly the ancient and mythological stories passed down through generations, ancient Japanese art, unusual flora… and all things mythical, dark and oriental.”

Sam has pursued creative work her entire life, saying, “I truly believe if you are a creative personality type you just ‘are’ and must pursue a creative career to be satisfied. All my careers have been creative. I’ve been a hairdresser and beautician, a Children’s experiential play/ art therapist and a painter.” She currently works as a Children’s Counsellor for Act for Kids but has been working with and on behalf of children since 1997, becoming a qualified Social Worker in 2002 and a qualified Children’s Therapist in 2005.

Her signature style reflects her interest in universal stories of love, fear sadness, loss, anger and personal growth, which also comes from her work as a counsellor. We see her sense of wonder in her world, but beneath the layers we also get a sense of the deeper narratives.

Sam Randall Montage 2

“A painting might be my story, your story or a universal story we all experience… My practice is informed by theoretical and therapeutic approaches that allow children to articulate their life stories and express their emotions in safe ways that are typically not verbal. These are called experiential therapies (art, play, music, stories etc). This is also the premise of my art and its processes.”

Sam agrees that art is a very powerful process. Through expression and exploration a person can “process their issues and develop their own life narrative on both a conscious and unconscious level,” but should only be undertaken by a professional with the highly specialised skills. “It has the potential to unlock a person’s repressed trauma history and delve into their fragile psyche. Doing this and not knowing how to work effectively and safely bring a person back to a safe place can be extremely harmful. I often hear of people that (who may have the best of intentions) use art as therapy on others with no qualifications and this both angers and saddens me.”

Art Therapy is not to be undertaken by a novice.

However outside of therapy, art can provoke questions and spark curiosity or provide a sense of calm, which is valuable to many. Having been raised in South Australia with no siblings at home, Sam says she had plenty of time to ponder and explore her imagination. She was a “staunch introvert” and her daydreaming or whimsical stories are still the foundation of her art today.

“For as far back as I can remember I have drawn, painted, written stories and created things. It’s just what I did and as I got older I realised it’s who I am. Not having a creative career wasn’t even an option.”

She has also found inspiration from collaborating in an empowering movement of work created for Warrior Women  – various group exhibitions in Brisbane and Melbourne which expressed powerful images about womanhood and feminism.  But allowing herself to be a professional artist and being recognised as one was part of her dream.  “Everything on top of that is just lovely sweet icing on top the wonderful artist cake!”

Her advice to budding creatives is not to obsess over success, money, accolades and public recognition. “If I could share any wisdom it would be to spend a lot of time both in the beginning and regularly along the journey to fully understand what you create what you do and why. Develop your professional principals early. These can change but are the anchor to come back to.”

Sam Randall Montage 3

Sam’s philosophy?

“To create paintings that share a powerful story, evoke a strong feeling in the viewer, inspire others to think deeper thus live a life more vibrant.”

If you want to learn more about Sam and her work, please use the links below:

Sam Randall Art on Facebook

Do you have a fav artist, musician, writer or creative you’d love to see featured here? Please send us their details. If you’d love to see more features like this – please hit subscribe on the sidebar on the right!

Wake Up & Be Awesome

I bought my Mum this mug that reads Wake up and Be Awesome. It’s beautifully designed, with modern font and geometrically influenced pattern on it and before I wrapped it up, I found myself staring at it. I wondered why this design appealed to me, and indeed why I thought it would be an appropriate design to be part of the Mother’s Day gift we had picked out. It occurred to me then, that modern society in all its hectic glory, does one thing very well. It overwhelms us. It overwhelms us to the point where we constantly doubt ourselves, we get stressed, experience all manner of anxieties, addiction, depression and other illnesses. We become unbalanced. And this imbalance manifests itself more strongly if our environment is erratic and we lose our ability to connect.

The design on this mug is representative of a noticeable trend towards imbuing mundane objects with self-affirming reminders, or plastering our walls with pictures and quotes that tell us to cherish each moment. You can just imagine your day beginning with a steaming mug of tea or coffee, giving yourself a pat on the back while reading Wake up and be Awesome, trying desperately to remember how great you are. Does it work? Chances are that it doesn’t beyond those few moments. But not because the mug’s message is superficial. What we are missing here is the connection.

Not only does this ingenious marketing take advantage of our intrinsic need to feel value and our lack of time to find it, it also takes advantage of our fear of discussing our deepest troubles and our suffering mental health; our soul’s aches and pains.  We are so accustomed to pouring money into quick fix solutions, to using technology and cleverly marketed products to trick us into feeling better, albeit briefly.

The Minimalist Movement is one such idea that has been born from this overly materialistic way of solving problems. An article from Time.com describes the movement like this;

“Minimalists like to say that they’re living more meaningfully, more deliberately, that getting rid of most material possessions in their lives allows them to focus on what’s important: friends, hobbies, travel, experiences.”

Discarding physical items is harder than many expect it to be. We attach a lot of sentimentality to our possessions because we feel some kind of connection to these things, but it is mere projection. If we want to experience a more genuine connection, we ought to be looking for something deeper. Something that can make a mark on our souls. If we are depressed or grieving, we ought to search for something that speaks to bones of that brokenness and sadness. If we feel elated, we ought to find something that helps us celebrate our happiness. Minimalism is a great first step, but arts and culture is where we will find that connection.

Our addiction to buying “warm glow” products, is a consequence of our unpractised ability to really connect with the world around us. So what sets art apart? The answer, of course, lays with the context imbued by the artist, the writer, or the musician and their ability to use their work to speak to each of us.

Our lives are made up of moments. Moments that we are often too overwhelmed to recognise. The arts have the capacity to capture those moments and draw our attention to what is significant. One powerful image, one chorus with heartfelt lyrics, one spoken word poem, one well told joke, one photograph, one portrait, or one story can make us feel acknowledged like we hadn’t before.

Our psychological responses to these moments engage our humanity. We want to feel, because to feel is to connect with the world around us. The problem is that the frame around arts culture is usually one of pristine white walls and sterile plaques. It is in events that are not widely circulated and therefore feel exclusive and a little pretentious. This only means that the impact of arts culture is sullied, our raw responses to the works happen mostly in private and the benefits that would then trickle out into the community are washed away.

We already know that our environment can be a precursor in deciding whether we are likely to develop an unhealthy addiction, and as Johann Hari explains;

“The opposite of addiction is not sobriety. The opposite of addiction is connection.”

As our communities battle addiction, not just to illicit drugs and alcohol, but also to gambling, porn, and even social media it makes sense that we ought to be finding ways to bring our arts culture back to the people.

In a recent article in Overland Journal, Melbourne writer Alison Croggon writes: “I’ve long held a visceral hostility towards what I’ve called the ‘muesli theory’ of art. This theory maintains that art should be consumed because it’s good for you. Aside from anything else, the idea that art is good for you takes all the fun out of it. It gives art an air of lugubrious obligation that is completely at odds with the involuntary suspension of the self that is art’s most beautiful side effect.”

The secret to connection and engagement is not in forcing ourselves to seek out art, but in remembering to be open to new ideas, new feelings and new perspectives when you do. Alain de Botton suggests (see clip below)  that we are often attracted to art that portrays some part of us we are missing or desperately crave. Similarly, he says, artists who portray beauty in the world around them (think of Claude Monet’s Water Lilies), are often those who understand the depth of darkness in the world. And I have long held the belief that our deepest connection with music comes from periods in our lives where we are processing the world through a gauze of emotion and angst. This explains our deep affection for the music we heard as teenagers, when music was the voice for the hormone-driven inner turmoil and rapid growth we experience.

When we engage with arts through our psyche, we will inevitably find some benefit from it and if we continue the discussion with others in our community, the benefits can be exponential.

“The problem with art is that it’s manifold, elusive and ambiguous, and whatever good it generates – in mental health, for example – emerges from its complexities. If art is useful, it’s because it generates meanings. Those meanings often emerge from our darkest truths and most bitter conflicts.

 

Sometimes art makes you anxious. That is part of its job. Sometimes its therapy exists in bringing to the surface our hidden traumas, our worst crimes, our darkest, most secret desires, and then forcing us to confront them. Making art is a process of examining our psychic unease in order to see it more clearly, inflaming rather than anesthetising our discomfort and pain. Art names our terrors as well as our joys. Sometimes, in order to make things better, art first has to make them worse.” Alison Croggon