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Wolfscape
Charcoal on Calico 120 x 200cms This wolf was created as part of a group exhibition titled ‘Scapegoat’ with the artist art therapist collective, Winnicott Wednesdays. The wolf represents the potential to be both perpetrator and victim in the process of scapegoating, one capable of being scapegoated or scapegoating others. As I worked on this wolf, the meaning shifted and this image became a powerful totem for drawing on the protective aspects of wolves whilst working as a mental health practitioner in the midst of funding cuts dismantling the National Health Services team I was working with.
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The art making process became a means of transforming an experience of powerlessness into an experience of reclaiming ground and presence. In the 'scapegoat process' (Schaverien, 1999) in art therapy it is thought that a maker imbues their artwork with unbearable, difficult or complex experiences and often feels a wish or impulse to destroy it. The image is seen to become powerful, representing the feelings projected into it, in the similar way to the ancient process of the scapegoat process where one goat is sacrificed and one is cast out into the wilderness, to rid the community of 'sin'. When talking about our experiences of making the artwork for this exhibition most of us had found that the art making contained complex experiences, life shifts and difficulties, giving them presence in the artwork, but rather than feeling the need to destroy our artwork, many of us found it had transformed the difficult experiences, giving us a sense of re-gaining some power or owning the experience in a more embodied way.
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Timorous
Charcoal 42x59cms The greyhound appears uncertain and nervous, reminding me of an art therapy group I ran with a colleague for young people. Outside of the group the members seemed confident, but were able to share their struggles with fitting in and feeling judged, sharing that this was the most powerful aspect of the group for them. It felt important to meet and accept their inner greyhounds in sessions.
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Wolf Pack
Ball point pen 150 x 210cm Wolves can represent community and strong social connections. The function of howling is only guessed at but an underpinning idea is that it's the glue that holds the pack together. Lois Cristler’s thoughts on howling wolves resonate with this image:
‘Like a community sing, a howl is a happy occasion. Wolves love to howl. When it is started, they instantly seek contact with one another, troop together, fur to fur. Some wolves will run from any distance, panting and bright-eyed, to join in, uttering, as they near, fervent little wows, jaws wide, hardly able to wait to sing.’ Crisler, L. (1968) Captive Wild: One Woman’s Adventure Living with Wolves, Harper and Row Publishers |
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Immersion
Charcoal 50 x 210cms This whale resonates with the weight of unprocessed emotional experiences. Both Freud and Jung write about a shadow aspect, which involves the less visible, often undesirable, darker parts of ourselves. It is speculated that when we deny our shadow we can project the unwanted parts of ourselves onto others. On the shadow, Jung writes, ‘the less it is embodied in the individual's conscious life, the blacker and denser it is’ (Jung, 1938). In this image I see the ocean as being like the unconscious or unknown – the whale representing something archaic and huge – maybe the handing down of generational experiences that lumber along out of sight. This whale navigates in the unknown, representing the importance of delving into our depths and shadows at times.
Jung, C.G. (1938). Psychology and Religion. In CW 11: Psychology and Religion: West and East. p. 131 |
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Introspective
Pencil 42x59cms This tiger is looking ahead but with an internal gaze.
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Watchful Fox
Pencil 21x25cms I am always struck by foxes’ resourcefulness and flexibility where they have learned to adjust to different environments and find ways to survive when their land is encroached on. Culturally to me, they are a London animal and make me think of my time in the city. This fox looks out in a protective and watchful way like the tough London red foxes. In retrospect I think this image is (in part) is a response to my difficulty coming to terms with political changes over the past year with the EU and government, needing to lie quiescent for a while in the midst of overwhelming changes and upheaval. |
Listening
Pencil 21x29cms This greyhound surprised me as it emerged. I am still unsure of what its expression is, but it resonates with the internal experience of feeling deeply listened too. 
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Leviathan
Pencil on Fabriano 42x59cms Whales are heavy and ancient, half visible and half unknown. The close up of the whale's eye in this image for me creates a weighty feeling of looking this mysterious creature in the eye for a little while before it delves back into the depths. |
