Transformation
"Transformation"
- a group show by
Liz Dowling, Jo Kelly, Kate Naylor.
Opening night Friday 26th January 2018, from 5-8pm.
"We are three artists and art psychotherapists who are creating an exhibition
to show how transformative the creative process can be
in transcending life’s struggles and celebrating its triumphs.
“Transformation” intends to explore our individual artistic development using art therapy
and to promote Art Therapy in the Northern Rivers Community."
'Lorikeets'
19 x 24 cm
by Liz
'Unmasked'
35 x 60 cm
by Kate
"Life Drawing"
A2 size
by Jo
Artist’s Statement: “Transformation”
During the creative process there are changes which occur as
cerebral and intuitive meet to work together for an individual’s self-expression.
The cerebral has stored knowledge for problem solving,
techniques which usually work to produce something predictable and acceptable in society.
The intuitive is full of surprises.
Unique to the individual it may take some courage to come forward, show itself and ‘speak out.’
Artists working as art therapists discover a freedom which they are delighted to encourage in their clients.
There is a standard description offered to participants: there is “no special ability or disability required.
Art therapy is non-judgmental, no right or wrong, no good or bad art.” (Liebmann)
So this freedom can be empowering or frightening for a first-time participant.
Either way, if you proceed it will be transformative in some way.
You will learn something about yourself and where you are psychologically at that point in time.
This transformation may be experienced in many ways
– internally, liberating your own ideas and communicating their importance to the mind/brain
- and externally by expressing them to other people.
Confidence in self-expression communicated can be a gift for others to express themselves too.
(superceded: see NAVA)
About the exhibiting artists
Liz Dowling
Born in Sydney NSW in 1947 into a very artistic family with a father as
a singer, mother a fashion designer and a brother a pianist Elizabeth always enjoyed her art.
At 19, she worked as a tracer in film animation and later worked with engineers, architects, town planners and display designers working on technical drawings and conceptual art. She discovered her strengths
lay in fine detail pen drawing and in painting, stylised realism. She
studied classical art technique at North Sydney Technical College and later with her then husband Ken Mayfield who had studied at the Julian Ashton Art School in Sydney.
In her twenties she and Ken regularly held exhibitions in NSW and Qld, mostly for charity. She won the Ballymore prize in Brisbane and was an exhibiting finalist in the Faber-Castell Drawing Prize.
"Pleasure"
92 x 61 cm
In her thirties, the couple exhibited at the Loggia Gallery, London, and afterwards Elizabeth was selected to exhibit
at The Mall Galleries. Later, back in Australia, she received an AME Bale encouragement award for classical art
for her to mount a solo exhibition in Brisbane.
In her forties, her studies in classical technique led her to work with National Parks in Queensland, designing and painting
large murals for information displays in various National Parks. A degree in Graphic Design also gave her the skills to design
as well as illustrate their printed information such as maps, posters, information sheets and public displays.
In 1996, Elizabeth became involved with art therapy and worked with an interest group committee to promote awareness
of the benefits of art therapy running workshops and introducing international guests to interested parties in Brisbane.
The committee then established a Masters course at the University of Queensland and the group was dissolved.
Seeking more community involvement outside an artist’s isolation,
Elizabeth studied Diversional Therapy and worked in aged care, acquired brain injury and mental health for 7 years.
This became a prerequisite for the Masters entry, along with relevant psychology studies at Griffith University.
She graduated with a Masters in Mental Health (Art Therapy) in 2010 from the University of Queensland.
Moving to Lismore NSW Elizabeth joined the Northern Rivers Arts Health and Wellbeing committee
which organised art therapy workshops with cancer survivors and in mental health.
Currently, Elizabeth facilitates art and movement workshops for On Track Community Programs
through Mission Australia and once a month for anyone interested at her home.
Recently she and 3 other art therapists formed a regional group of the Arts Therapies professional body ANZATA
who meet for supervision and facilitate events to create awareness of art therapy in the Northern Rivers Community.
Elizabeth is presently an exhibiting member of the Serpentine Gallery in Lismore.
Her commissioned work includes portraiture, book illustration, and landscapes.
She also runs a U3A Art Appreciation course at Ballina.
___
Jo Kelly
UK-born Jo attended a Catholic High School, becoming Head Girl. She completed her A Levels intending to attend uni, but instead went to live in India and then spent eight years in Papua New Guinea. With two children,
she applied to go to art school and university to study teaching with art
as a main subject.
During these years, she made a decision that while her artistic practice
is of fundamental importance to her, she chose not to exhibit her work.
The conflict of the commoditisation of artistic imagery was too conflicted
for her. During these years, she engaged with her art practice but life was about the more mundane and her career involved working in the field of
health promotion and with the Probation Service.
On the death of her Mother, Jo trained as an art therapist on the new University of Queensland Masters of Mental Health degree. While undertaking her studies, she also worked as a teacher at the Mater Special School in Brisbane. Since then she has been working in her own chosen field and even managed to exhibit in Brisbane. Ever curious about the art therapy process, she embarked on a PhD – the first in art therapy in a high school in Australia
– which was an ethnographic study involving arts-based research processes. Jo is a published author and has presented widely at national and
international conferences on the subject of art therapy.
Jo is a qualified counsellor as well as being an art therapist and has been a private pilot though it would not be safe to go flying with her now. She has also been a trainer in the Youth Mental Health First Aid (edition 1 & 2) in the recent past.
"Warp and weft of life"
A3 size
One of her greatest satisfactions has been working with art therapy with young parents (aged12-24)
with complex issues in Logan, QLD and also with young indigenous people in long term foster care.
She gains great satisfaction in supervising Masters of Mental Health students on placement, a casual academic role.
In addition since 2014 Jo has held the current presidency of the Australia and New Zealand Arts Therapy Association
(ANZATA), the professional peak body for art therapists in the Asia Pacific region.
___
Kate Naylor
Born in 1975, Kate’s mother encouraged her creative explorations. She attended College of Fine Arts (UNSW) and completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photomedia. Kate continued to create photographic and digital imagery, captivated by the use of technology as an art making tool.
Kate carried her camera everywhere and her photographic work documenting ‘Youth Culture’ in Australia in the late 1990’s is held in The State Library of NSW archive collection. She was interested in ‘fringe –dwellers’ and
dissidents and spent time in Amsterdam documenting ‘Squat Culture’ and
was involved in the creation and development of OT301 (a disused and
empty Film School transformed by squatters into functional art spaces for
the community).
She continued to travel throughout Europe and exhibited in various group shows both in Australia and Amsterdam. Returning to Australia, Kate continued her studies in Digital Art and Screen and together with her
partner Toby Hillier won The TAFE NSW Arts and Design Prize in 2004 for
their film ‘Sorco’, an exploration of ‘madness’ and a tribute to Alfred Hitchcock.
Compelled to share her skills and knowledge, Kate taught in the Creative Industries department for TAFE NSW and completed a Graduate Diploma in Education. She spent the following years teaching Digital Media (and Drama) in High Schools and TAFE NSW. Becoming increasingly fascinated with the positive impact art making had on her students, Kate began researching Art Therapy.
"Emerging"
35 x 60 cm
In 2015, she was awarded a Masters in Mental Health (Art Therapy) at the University of Queensland, completing placement
at Headspace and as a school counsellor under the supervision of Dr Jo Kelly.
Kate currently teaches in the Community Services section at TAFE NSW and runs a private Art Therapy practice.