Puffy Paint

I learned about "Puffy Paint" at my Art Therapy Workshop. The ingredients are an equal portion of shaving cream with Elmers Glue. The mixture can be tinted with tempera paint. This no bake recipe results in a wonderfully messy and textured finger paint. Haven't tried it yet but I got some more strange looks from the cashier when I bought 5 cans of shaving cream and a quart of glue. Hey, I left one can on the shelf in case someone came in next with a shaving emergency. Tee Hee.

Art as Psychotherapy. I'm putting on my professorial uniform to share with you what else I learned. Art therapy as a profession first emerged in the 1940's with psychoanalysts who were also artists. One's art, instead of dreams would be used in psychotherapy sessions. That, probably took longer than the painting of the Sistine Chapel.

Art as Therapy. The Contemporary Art Therapist is trained in both the fields of social science and art. The premise is that the art someone creates reflects the essence of the individual. This heretofore untapped expression can be used by the trained clinician to address therapeutic issues.

Developmental Art. If you ask someone to draw a house or a person, you can use their art as a tool to ascertain their level of cognitive development. This has nothing to do with whether they can "draw". Think about what a typical drawing produced by a 14 year old looks like and compare that with a typical drawing produced by a 4 year old. This approach can be used to enhance developmental skills.

Therapeutic Art is simply the soothing effect obtained by many from indulging in art or craft activities.


April 2011 is Autism Awareness Month. May will be Children's Mental Health Awareness Month. "All children are artists. The problem is remaining as one as an adult."-Picasso