“Mirrors of the Mind 4: The Psychotherapist as an Artist” is presented by the Community Outreach Committee of the Los Angeles County Psychological Association. The annual exhibition opened on Saturday November 21, 2015, at Art Share L.A. Curated by Terry Marks-Tarlow, PhD and Pamela J. McCrory, PhD, the juried show celebrates art and its healing qualities – God knows, art has saved me many times throughout my life!

See my Huffinton Post article about Art Share L.A. There is a good portion of the article dedicated to this exhibition.

Each year, artists who also work in the field of psychology submit art for the annual show. Jurors include Robert Bilder, PhD; James Catterall, PhD; Rebecca Catterall; and Gus Harper. The event will feature music and poetry along with an art auction.

Flora Golden has participated in the Mirrors of the Mind annual project since its inception. The artwork that was selected for the exhibit was inspired by a photograph in the New York Times (around 2011) featuring the work of Jeff Koons. Golden explains, “The article spoke to the phenomenon of human and animal pairings, and Koons’s photo of two sheep was used as one illustration. This image began to haunt me until I finally surrendered to it and began to paint sheep. This inaugurated my sheep-painting craze, as I became somewhat obsessed with their image.”

See image: Flora Golden, Shear Elegance, 14″ by 10″ watercolor, quash and gold-leaf on wood-backed cardboard, 2012.

“Shear Elegance,” the “Mirrors of the Mind” selection, was one of eight sheep – inspired wall plaques in the series Still Counting.

Pamela J. McCrory, PhD, board member of LACPA and co-founder of “Mirrors of the Mind 4”, shares the following thoughts about the power of art: “Creativity is an essential quality of healthy personal and professional expression and contributes to the development of those with whom we work and to our professional and personal lives. This is evident in the unique work of psychotherapist artists who participated in the Mirrors of the Mind gallery project: Photographers hone their capacity to see, sculptors cultivate their capacity to touch, and painters ripen the inner eye of imagination. Meanwhile, a variety of themes are expressed through all of the art forms, ranging from loss, injury and illness; personal and social transformation; clinical understanding, intimacy, spirituality, joy, playfulness and reverence in the human connection with nature. Art provides the viewer with a potential therapeutic benefit and can help individuals deal with crises and challenges of life. Engaging in the arts promotes physical wellbeing by reducing stress and improving immune function. Further, arts can expand psychological possibilities, locate untapped resources, and expand consciousness. Arts illuminate cultural differences and similarities, reflect social climate, and promote social protest and change. They can be used in conflict resolution and community building. When, as a community, we engage in the arts we ‘wash the dust of daily life off our souls.'” – Pamela J. McCrory, PhD

Terry Marks-Tarlow, PhD will be showing a piece titled Indian Wedding. “I’ve always wanted to go to an Indian wedding,” said Marks-Tarlow. “The president of the Los Angeles County Psychological Association is Indian, and she’s very dedicated to diversity issues. This year, Mirrors of the Mind 4 is themed for the first time, Culture, Creativity & Community. And so I thought this piece fit right in.”

See image: by Terry Marks-Tarlow, Indian Wedding, 11″ x 14″ 2014, pen and colored pencils on paper

One more artist I wanted to point out is Stuart Perlman, PhD, who is working tirelessly on a series about the homeless. His exhibition, “Faces of Homelessness,” is currently running at the Arclight Cinema Culver City on Washington Boulevard in Culver City. Perlman strives to make a difference for the homeless community and demonstrates to the public that we (as people) all have so much in common. His next scheduled exhibition will be associated with the event, 2015 Santa Monica Homeless Count, on January 27. “The city of Santa Monica will have 500 people meeting at St. Matthew’s Church to begin the homeless count, and my paintings will be throughout the church and surrounding the volunteers,” explained Perlman.

See image: Stuart Perlman, PhD, Sharon, 3’ x 3’ oil on canvas painting.

Sharon, the woman in the painting, experienced massive trauma growing up. Perlman caught her in the midst of feeling her pain as she recounted her story of rape and physical abuse by her own father.

“Mirrors of the Mind 4: The Psychotherapist as an Artist” opens on November 18 and will remain on view through November 28. Enjoy a reception on Saturday, November 21, 2015.

What: Reception
Where: Art Share LA, 801 E 4th Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90013
Phone: (213) 687-4278;
Website: http://artsharela.org/ http://www.lapsych.org/