JENNA DEUTCH

Showcase of Work

BY THE SEASIDE

Acrylic Paint and Canvas

For me, art is a way to express something that you are not able to say. Art brings the vision in one’s head to life. As an artist, I have struggled to “speak” with art, but I have found that when I feel something so strongly, I have to bring it to life. For this piece, in particular, I chose to represent the theme of “happiness.” The scene depicted is one that bring me immense joy and relaxation because the place that has never failed to bring a smile to my face is the beach. When I go to the beach, I get to be with people I see once a year and while this scene is not exactly what I see with them, this is my vision for the future of our times together. Using acrylic paints was the best medium for me to represent what I envision because it blends all of the colors that I see in a sunset, as well as highlight each individual aspect of the piece. Through the past few years, I have been honing in on my painting skills, so to me, this piece demonstrates my growth. While this painting is a 3x3, I hope to keep working and gaining confidence to take my work to a larger platform.

THE GRAY LADY

Chalk Pastel, Charcoal, and Paper

A large part of the concept of art therapy is stress management and this is achieved in many ways. Through the past few years, I have discovered that making art is therapeutic for me. When I discovered that I was able to draw, I started working on it more and it started acting as a stress-relieving method. I still have a lot to learn about drawing and using other mediums, but regardless, the act of drawing is something that takes my mind off of whatever it is that I am worrying about. Although these mediums were difficult for me to use in the moment because they were new, I felt proud of myself by the end and also more relaxed, which is the point of art therapy. Art therapy is not about how good something a person makes is, but rather how the process of creating the art feels. Stress management can come through many forms, but art therapy was created as a form of stress relief, along with many other reasons. It is always a bonus after relieving stress to be able to take a step back and appreciate how the stress that built up can create something beautiful.