Visual Art and Poetry

Painting isn’t an aesthetic operation; it is a form of magic designed as a mediator between this strange, hostile world and us, a way of seizing the power by giving form to our terrors as well as our desires. When I came to that realization, I knew I had found my way. Picasso’s words about painting, but which can also be applied to all visual and performing art, couldn’t be more timely as we try to find meaning amidst our current events.

As an AFTA artist, I have been privileged to teach art to groups of seniors; they help me keep my life in perspective. Since I am given creative freedom and encouragement, I am able to try different modalities. I learn and re-learn " to trust the process" as the seniors teach me what they are capable of accomplishing. It is often amazing how far they can go when given the opportunity. It is moving to see the imagination bring a vitality and healing to seniors with a diminished capacity to reason.

As an expressive therapist, I like to enter into the world of the imagination with participants. We have written fairy tales as well as poetry, and have used a variety of art materials. Aside from teaching a new skill, my goals are to build self -esteem, enable the seniors to have control by giving them choices, and to encourage group interaction. In some groups we have shared tears, but more often there is a sense of play. In one group, a woman was talking out loud to no one in particular. I asked what she said and she answered, "Oh I’m just talking to my painting." I replied, "What does the painting answer?" She looked at me and laughed, "Honey, if that painting answers, I’m out of here!"

Recently, I have discovered Haiku poetry as a stimulus for some of my groups. Traditionally a haiku is written in seventeen syllables in three lines consisting of 5-7-5 syllables each. They originated in Japan in the 1600’s and involve all the senses. They became popular in America after World War II. American poets are changing the subject matter and many are ignoring counting the syllables to write short poems that experience the world vividly and directly. The short direct quality of Haiku poems seems to enable the seniors to focus as well as stimulate their senses, imagination and awareness.

After taking turns reading aloud several seasonal haiku that I bring the group, participants give oral associations, which I write down. Then as a group, they collaborate to form their own short poems. Lively images such as dancing in the moonlight/sand tickling toes/happy rope skipping lightly are among the many they have created. These rich images coming from people that mostly use walkers or wheelchairs are poignant. Sometimes the words of one individual become a short poem, full of detail. The following are some examples inspired by Richard Wright’s Haiku:

Gusty autumn rain
Swinging a yellow lantern

It reminded one woman of her early days on the farm. She responded:

Brother
Blue stripped overalls
Slippery leaves
Newborn calf
Another Haiku:
Eating a red apple
A little girl stares dreamily
At the autumn sea

And then the group, after some discussion about color of sound, wrote:

Roar of orange sound
Crunch of apple
Juice running down

The next phase of this project has been to introduce watercolors and have the group make a painting stimulated by a haiku, like the ones mentioned, written in prior sessions. The results have been remarkable. I have asked them to paint while hearing poems, letting the senses come into play. Many of the paintings are abstract and give the emotion of the poem. The bonding of people through this process has been touching.

A woman in the group with aphasia (her speech impairment is due to a stroke) has to point to a word chart to convey her thoughts. She does this rapidly and the others wait patiently, usually deciphering her thought before she can spell the entire word. It is difficult for her to move her hand yet she has taken chances and made paintings on her own. Previously an aide painted for her as she indicated her wishes. This woman has vitality despite her handicap. I asked one group if they preferred painting to music (which we had also done) or to words. A woman answered, "words are music." In another group a participant who had been a bit hostile and seemed confused was suddenly reminded of a beautiful concert the group had heard recently. She said:

The concert
Went so fast
There was no chance
To hold it in our hands

She had given poetic form to her thoughts and for the moment had found her way.

CAROL SIEGEL, AFTA Artist