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My Art Therapy Journey with Silvia

 

 

 

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Click on the Photo Squares to view more on each painting by Jzin.

 

 

 

 

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About Instructor Silvia

SILVIA HANUSTIAKOVA
Silvia Hanustiakova is from Slovakia, Europe. She teaches Eurythmy in the middle school and high school at The Waldorf School of Orange County in Costa Mesa, California, USA. Silvia graduated from Waldorf Eurythmy training and art therapy in Vienna, Austria in 2003. Silvia is an experienced Eurythmy teacher, having taught extensively in Waldorf schools in Slovakia, and is one of the founders of a Eurythmy teacher training school there. Silvia has performed as part of a troupe in France, Germany, Switzerland and Slovakia. In 2019, Silvia graduated with a Masters of Arts in art therapy, and had a thriving practice in Germany before joining WSOC. Silvia is passionate about assisting students in their individuality and uniqueness, and her goal is to always support and encourage inner development.

Bella

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What is Art Therapy?

Classmate Dr. Stephanie Tyson made this lovely video to explain art therapy.

 

 

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xxx

Saturday 1pm, December 8, 2024

It is now winter. The last time we gathered, it was the end of summer. We were so happy to get together again to paint with Silvia! We shared our progress since we last met. I was very happy to share that I had a surprising breakthrough with what I needed the most:

My first encounter with Art Therapy was in April 2024. I was fraught and stuck with an important matter, not knowing how to resolve it. You may scroll down to see my painting on April 27, 2024. Is Art Therapy really a short cut in arriving at what we need the most? I did not even know how to wrangle this part of life, I let Silvia guide me through the exercises.  To my surprise, by winter, I discovered a breakthrough and resolution of this urgent matter! What?! I did not even know how to do it but the resolution came as a gift to my life!

In the times of advent, Silvia led us to look at our archetypes and understanding the virtues that can help us traverse our obstacles.

I was squinting hard, trying to see my life from above, my hidden habits and trajectory, more clearly as if through a torrent rain without an umbrella, beseeching my stars to guide my earnest way. Yet, I am happily hopeful. 2 pieces painted this afternoon at Art Therapy. Saturday 12/8/24.

My first piece today: Beseeching the Guidance of My Stars.

 

 

 

 

Ice Bear/ Painting Our Obstacles

Saturday. August 10, 2024. Last Art Therapy of Summer of 2024

 

Painting our obstacles.

Today was our last day of Art Therapy of summer 2024. Silvia wanted us to paint our obstacles/ shadow flowers, giving them a form and name, knowing what they need and nurture them lovingly so they can grow and transform. This was the piece I made, namely:

Photo 1. “My Immortal Ice Bear Needs to (1) Get Out of The Garage and into The Sun (2) Eat Fish (3) Swim Freely in The Ocean.” Watercolor on paper. August 10, 2024.

Photo 2, 3, 4. Details of Photo 1.

Thank you Silvia for eye-opening, transformative, liberating and fun Art Therapy sessions. Thank you my classmates for walking this journey with me. That was fun to paint together! Thank me for my courage.

Come join us for Art Therapy in Silvia’s upcoming Fall sessions!

#CastleofCostaMesa #arttherapy #watercolor #waldorfeducation #anthroposophy #eurythymy #summerpaintings #spiritualmedicine #anthroposophyart #anthroposophicalpainting #almodóvar

 

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Visiting Classmate Melody’s Art Exhibition

Friday, August 9. 2024

Our classmate Melody was having an Art Exhibition at Santora Arts Building in Old Santa Ana.

Lynne, Elena and I visited Melody’s art show. Today was also Lynne’s 88th birthday. Lynne used to have a painting studio in the Santora Arts Building as well.

I came home with this beautiful artwork by Melody!

Bee a Dreamer, by Melody Spring Art

You can see more of Melody’s artwork on Etsy MelodySpringArt shop here.

You can follow Melody on instagram here.

 

 

 

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Layering

Wednesday, August 7, 2024

Veil painting Wednesdays. Silvia gave us free reins to paint. Not fully grasping veil painting, free reins was hard for me.

I have been cutting kite paper window transparencies at home, in preparation for Winter Festival, in the middle of this hot summer. So, angel came to mind and I painted an angel cradling a newborn.

My experimentation with kite paper window transparencies at home…

Melody’s Piece. Follow Melody on Instagram here

Melody’s work. Follow Melody on Instagram here

Elena’s veil painting

A frustrating piece of mine. I was not sure where I was heading.

Same piece, later stage

 

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Freedom Fish

Sunday, August 4, 2024

Today, Silvia prompted us to paint our themes. Melody loves the theme of roses. I love the theme of sky, horizon. Distances make me excited. Silvia said this is the Jupiter “will” (or perhaps she used another word, that I do not remember, so don’t quote a novice like me.)

I started with the theme that brings me joy: Horizon in the great distance. Then I remembered what Silvia said, in response to my “Sky Fish” piece, “You may paint a fish swimming freely in the ocean”. Hmm.. That is a good idea, I thought casually. However, immediately, I felt like orienting my paper in the portrait setting. Also, I had the urge to make rocky cliffs on both side of my tall and long painting. Not quite the open sea. But that was what I was urged to paint. So I painted it.

Freedom Fish. I was not going to post this piece due to the irony. But here it is. I could not even paint the fish due to the obvious location I could put it. So I ended my painting here.

Saturday. August 10, 2024. I felt the picture was too bright on this hot summer, so I added black to cool it down. Oy!

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Sinbad’s Vista

July 31, 2024

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Sky Fish

Saturday, July 27, 2024

It is much fun to paint with friends!

I am impressed by the images of grandiose, lifeless fish, such as this one by Giorgio de Chirico. Why? I know not.

Giorgio De Chirico’s design for the cover of “Nel paese della Gattafata” (“In the village of Gattafata“) (1943-1944). Pen and India ink on paper. 29.5 x 25.3 cm Milan, Private Collection.

Also, the large, beached golden fish flopping helplessly from Ken and Roberta William’s King’s Quest II…

Silvia reading a painter’s work

Not my piece:

 

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Assortment of Days.

Sunday. July 14, 2024

“Virtues are what elevate our lives.” This was the prompt for today’s Art Therapy. I enjoyed seeking, picking and playing with the colorful paints laid out for us. Similarly, if I could seek out virtues to elevate my life – courage, patience, I placed those in my basket.

Photo 1. Painting 2 of 2, incomplete. Assortment of Days. Silvia mentioned something about our souls being eternal. Why, then do I feel impatience in this lifetime?

Photo 2. Painting 1 of 2 created today. It started as an abstract, progressed into a landscape. Silvia pointed out the green pool of peace I was seeking.

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First Veil Painting

July 10, 2024

I am learning a new way of seeing, painting and most importantly, being. First lessons in anthroposophical Veil Painting with Waldorf School of Orange County eurythmy teacher Miss Silvia @art_heals_silvia.

Photo 1. Painting 2, week 2. I had to live with the hasty mistakes of my strong initial brush strokes. This piece is a nice reminder to start with more dilute and transparent paint at the beginning. In the meditative journey, the brushstrokes swam like fishes in the currents.

Photo 2. First painting, week 2. Facing the conundrum of irreversibly strong colors from the first brushstrokes of week 1, on week 2, I turned this piece into a traditional, non-veil painting piece.

I contemplated aloud the nature of veil painting with my teen daughter. She said, it makes sense to honor and expose the process/brushstrokes/movements in the final artwork, because life is more of a journey than destinations. Is it though? I wondered slowly after she left the room – but each point in life’s journey is an arrival.

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Safavidian Alveoli

Saturday, July 6, 2024

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Accidental Portrait of Bisser

June 29, 2024. This was the first of two pieces I painted this Saturday.

 

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Fanette

Saturday, June 29, 2024. This was the second piece I painted this Saturday afternoon.

When I paint, I feel so free, like a fish that is poured from a fish bowl into the stream. Painting is what I am meant to do in life. Yet it takes courage to be exposed.

This piece is the result of turning upside down my original piece. I recognize it less this way and this is the way I enjoy viewing the final result.

Searching for a name, I came up with the melancholic song by Jacques Brel, since this is a beach piece painted in July, so I called it “Fanette”.

The original piece. It became a landscape.

 

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Digestive Track

Saturday afternoon. June 22, 2024

My first piece today.

I was just having fun, sampling out the new paints, playing with colors and freely exploring gestures on paper.

My second piece.

As I was playing with paint, this turned out to be a moorish landscape.

My third piece painted today.

I used a more expensive looking box of water-color paints. The hues turned out bright.

Elena’s pieces, work-in-progress

Surprisingly, Silvia read my paintings and said, “Your issues are in the digestion.” What! How does she know?

She said – Piece No. 1… you are digesting. Piece No. 2… in the middle of digesting. Piece No. 3. It is done… your have finished loaf of bread.

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June 2, 2024

Sunday. Art Therapy with Silvia.

I painted 3 pieces in watercolor.

I wanted to engulf the piece of paper!

This watercolor medium is so faint. I am more used to working with stronger colors.

 

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“I See There is Still Pain…”

May 25, 2024.

“I see there is still pain, but you are starting to make beautiful landscape out of it now” – Silvia

This piece below, I think was painted by Silvia. I love the looseness, freedom and wash of dreamy hues.

 

 

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Senior Eurythymy

May 23, 2024

Thursday, May 23, 2024. Gaby invited me to attend eurythymist Silvia’s presentation. I wasn’t sure if I had the time to attend. But by the evening, I was able to make it. Poetry in motion. Truth, in action, acted out in the arms and legs. It was profound, poetic, beautiful and important! I was so happy I attended it. Miss Silvia is a treasure to these student’s lives!

At the end of the performance, I went up to Silvia and said, “Please share the poem about the rain with me. I am so inspired by your works, I am going to follow you around!”

And by chance, she started teaching Art Therapy in the next months and I indeed did start to follow her around all summer and painted many pieces during her Art Therapy and Veil Painting classes! How lucky I feel to find a great teacher!

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My First Art Therapy Session

Saturday, April 27, 2024.
How exciting! This was my first Art Therapy session in years!

I attended Gaby Hass’ Dream Tending Session at The Yurt in Huntington Beach, California.

Gaby Hass’ Yurt in Huntington Beach

Oh fun! Art supplies and refreshments all set out for us to use!

Silvia’s painting…

Despite my cheerful countenance, during those days, my heart was heavy and anxious, tangled by issues I was not ready to resolve.

I let the first piece dry in the warm air, and reached out to the second blank canvas.

As I have not painted for years, it was cathartic to play – paint on paper. I was a fish in water.

I made 2 pieces of paintings. I let one dry as I worked on the other.

I was a little afraid of these painting exposing my inner conflicts to the world. I applaud my courage for going forward with it.

After we painted, we went inside the yurt when Gaby did some dream analysis of the dreams we brought in. Then Silvia read our paintings.

My two pieces on the floor of the yurt, to be read by Silvia.

I was oblivious of a solution to my knotted dilemmas. However, the solution was clear to everyone present. Silvia said happily, waving in the air, towards the top right corner off of my painting and said, do you see? The solution is just right there, just one or two more paintings and you will see it!

Haha! How interesting! I looked forward to more painting sessions.

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