Art for Self-care and Mindfulness

Through the process of being creative, we can achieve deep relaxation and clarity, otherwise known as the ‘flow state’. Art and creativity has been shown to alleviate symptoms of anxiety  and aids in processing difficult emotions and navigating life challenges.

Workshop Programmes

Workshops and classes are available by appointment, either at my home studio in Medina or by mobile arrangement, available Thursday-Saturday. To book, simply contact me with a workshop request and preferred day and time. Cost is $25 per person with a minimum of three participants. All workshops suitable for adults and children 12  and over.

Art Journaling Workshop

 Discover how to utilise mixed media and collage in  a daily journaling practise. All materials provided, including an A4 art journal. Workshop runs for 3 hours.

 Totem Animal Painting Workshop

 Through meditation, discover your special ‘totem animal’, and the unique attributes your animal brings. This is an acrylic painting workshop, where the finished painting will be a symbol of encouragement and inspiration. No experience necessary, as I will assist you in any way needed. All materials supplied,  this is a  3 hour workshop which can be run as a series over 2 weeks.

 Mixed Media  Assemblage Workshop

In this workshop, participants will create a mixed media ‘assemblage’artwork using a variety of materials including scrapbook papers,  feathers, found objects, trinkets which are glued to  a craftboard and  further enhanced with acrylic or enamel spray paint or acrylic paint.  All materials provided, however,  bringing along objects, bits of fabric etc makes the artwork more meaningful and personal.

                                                                             Contact:

Mob: 0402601480

Email: alysskanitschart@gmail.com

Website: alyssakanitschart.com

Follow me on  Facebook @ Alyssa’s Art Garden,

Instagram @ alyssakanitsch_art

 

Catching Stardust

This painting was created using a lot of texture, from paper to fabric from Jordan’s old board shorts….it’s been interesting using his clothes in such a way, for me it has carried a lot of meaning….creating using something of his, I feel I am sharing with him in the whole process of painting. Jordan has always been involved with my art; from being the subject of Portraiture, to being a model for Jesus for a mural I did once in Bruce Rock….not sure if this one is quite finished, I may add some stardust in the angel’s hand. The angel in this piece has popped up in a couple of paintings now… it always fascinates me when this happens!

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A detail of the Angel’s face
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Another recent painting using Jordan’s boardies for texture. 

Pre Primary Castles

Pre-primary artists used corrugated papers and paint to make fairytale castles. This is a great activity to teach shape and texture. We achieved this in two 50 minute sessions, the first session we looked at the shapes found in old castles, and I demonstrated how to cut out shapes and assemble them onto the paper……so very important to demonstrate, I always have to remind myself that children are not mind readers!!! After doing some drawings of castle shapes, they cut out their shapes (some needed a little help- cutting castle turrets is hard work!), then glued them down onto black paper (we used pva glue). I was a bit torn between painting them the following week or using them to make prints….but I think the greater learning was achieved through just painting them. Young kids looooove colour mixing. I think the more of this they can do, the better. I love hearing shrieks of “oh wow I made gold/purple/green”….messy but worth it! I think these young artists should be very happy with what they have achieved.

A bit of mixed media

I’m teaching my 3/4 class how to include foreground, middle ground and backgrounds in landscapes. We used tissue paper and paint to make the foreground appear closer. We also made some trees out of torn newspaper. They painted on some recycled lino donated from the Pre Primary classroom. They look pretty cool so far, can’t wait til they add the finishing touches with oil pastel..although, these ones look pretty good as they are 😊

Aerial View

 

Today my year 3/4 art students created collages of aerial views. We discussed how an aerial view is a view from above, like in a plane. A lot of aboriginal art is based on the aerial view. We westerners are really biased toward seeing the world and art from a frontal viewpoint!

The important thing about aerial perspective is that there is no horizon line, so this was a great follow up for the alien landscape activity, because the focus there was on putting in a horizon line that shows where the land and sky meet.

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We also talked about collage and how it’s a really flexible way of using lots of materials. We used newspaper, coloured tissue paper, coloured construction paper and dry pastels. After I did a quick demo, kids were very keen to explore their own ideas and they came up with some unique ways of using collage to show aerial views.

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