"The Bush after a Summer Shower" Acrylic on Canvas (Size = 24"×24") The Australian bush is dry in Summer where we live. We have just had aummer showers in the last 24 hours and flowers bloom whilst puddles of water evaporate. The bush smells fresh and the plants make the most of the precious water.

"Walk on Country" by Kerrie Acrylic on Canvas (Size =24"×24") It is so good for the soul to walk on Country. If we live far away a trip home is rejuvenating. It is important to spend time in the bush and recharge as well as let go of tension. In the bush you feel happy for no real reason and it is impossible to get angry or frustrated when you walk where the animals normally only go!

"Blood and Sweat on the Hand" By Kerrie Thomsen Acrylic on Canvas (24"×24") This painting was inspired by my people and other close family clans getting together to celebrate Christmas. So much of my culture is lost (blood on the hand) but our culture is changing and growing with young people showing the way. My people love to work the land, love to be in nature and bring their own food to our special feasts (blood and sweat on the hand) I hope you enjoy. Kerrie

Mindfulness Mandala

I did this Mindfulness Art activity with a group of women and my Medical students.

The Mindfulness Mandala can be pre-drawn or free hand like this one.

Mandala's are popular in many indigenous cultures as a form of Art. Contemporary Mandala's can be created with canvas and Acrylic which is what I have used here. The First people's of North America are famous for the Dream Catcher which is a Mandala another of my favourite Mandala's.

Easy Mandala Designs

Easy Mandala Designs:

I paint mandala's without intending to, they come quite naturally to me. Painting original mandala's is something you can do free hand or you can geometrically mark up your canvas or paper and then fill each section with shapes, lines, doodles, dots or any other symbol for e.g fleur de lis, leaves, flowers etc.

Free hand mandala using Yin and Yang

Mandala Drawing:

This mandala symbolizes my authentic aboriginal heritage. Here you can see if have started in the centre with a dot - a common method. This canvas I marked into section geometrically starting with several circles getting larger each time and then by dividing the circles into pieces of pie - starting with 2 hemispheres then 4 quarters.
I will post this Mandala painting again when it is complete.

geometric designed mandala

Wedding or Engagement Mandala:

This Mandala is inspired by a family members engagement and pending marriage. This mandala is free hand and once again I have started in the centre. The yellow half loops represent "family and friends gathering" as a community. The mandala is a symbol of connection. I will post the completed mandala so my visitors and friends can see how it evolves to the completed state.

Wedding celebration by artist Kerrie Thomsen

Kind wishes

Kerrie

Art Journal drawing number 2

"Aerial view of a wide expanse of land and river. Some of this land is untouched by human hand and other lands are conserved and worked for food"

My second Drawing for my Art Journal:

This method today was as follows:
1. Drawing lines (and only lines) with my non-dominant hand
2. Create detail
3. Color in with your dominant hand to create an image that you find pleasing!
4. Step back and look to see what you can "See" - write up the description of what you have created on the back of your picture.

Kerrie

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Kerrie Thomsen


==> Email: kerriethomsen23@gmail.com
==> Web: http://www.kerriethomsen.com

First step with my Art Journal

Wedgetail Eagle and Three Crows - tangling mid flight above the Pine Forest!

First Step with my Art Journal:

I am very keen on journals and have kept and written in many over the past 40 years.

Now on my journey to develop my Art Therapy career I have started my very first Art Journal instead of a written one.

I am using some tips from "The Art Therapy Source Book" by Cathy Malchiodi.

This first Picture in my art journal is created as follows:

1. Keep your eyes closed

2. Draw scribbles for as long as you can; moving the journal pad around is fine

3. Open your eyes and colour in the picture

4. On the back write a description - just try to accept what comes to you and it does not have to be realistic or even symbolic. Try to tap into what ever inspired you in both stages of scribbling and then coloring. My painting turned out to be inspired a special experience on our morning bush walk. My husband first spotted this Wedgetail Eagle. he was gracefully gliding around. Some Crows were not that happy when he came near and "rushed" him a few times until he moved on. We suspect the crows had a nest very nearby.

I hope you enjoyed and would love to hear any comments.

Kerrie

NOTES:

This Journal is an A4 Sketch Book - the pages are thick (150gsm) and spiral bound which I am finding nice and easy to handle.

The pages are Acid Free.

Dolphin Kick Swimming

Here is my painting (Dolphin Family Mandala) and it shows a family of dolphins kick swimming.

If you like this painting please leave me a comment.

I paint dolphins as a family because that is how I think of them as well as being acrobatic.

This is the bottle nose Dolphin from near Hervey Bay.

To the Butchulla Peoples the Dolphin is a totem animal for many. As the traditional owners from the Wide Bay region the Dolphin is respected and honoured.

Kerrie

The Black Card Course

This is a great course. I did this with my baby sister Manda, in 2014.

BlackCard provides training and consultancy services to enable people and organisations to work effectively with members of the Aboriginal community.

Working with people, not for people, with the genius of Aboriginal Knowledge.

http://www.theblackcard.com.au/

We spent two whole days with these amazing Elders, fellow participants and Mundanara Bayles the Managing Director of Blackcard in beautiful Brisbane.

Lilla Watson and Mary Graham are both amazing women and Educators and have provided a wonderful opportunity for younger generations of First Peoples like myself and non-aboriginal peoples equally to learn from them through these workshops.


Go their website Black Card Courses  to see when the next short courses and intensive two day workshops are running in this year and every year.


Kerrie

Art on Display and for Sale

For enquiries 

Click this Link

or

http://www.kerriethomsen.com/p/art-for-sale.html

NAIDOC WEEK 2015

ART SHOW

St John of God Hospital

Artist Profile

Kerrie is a Butchulla (Badjtala) woman from the peoples of the Maryborough and Tiaro area in QLD where many of her family still live. Her people are the traditional owners and Kerrie expresses the strong ties to the Mary River, the bush and K’gari (Fraser Island) through her painting.

She has a background in healthcare as an Occupational Therapist and still finds time for some art therapy sessions with clients. “As a clinical OT, I always loved my expressive art sessions with patients and I truly believe art making helps people overcome the difficulties of hospitalization, or impact of illness and cope with major treatment programs for e.g. with cancer or dialysis and I want to do a lot more yet in dementia care and bereavement….”

She has been painting for just a few short years.

 “Painting with acrylic on canvas is part of my life now, an expression of my love for nature, my identity, my healing and cultural heritage.”

Her paintings are often of a symbolic and spiritual nature and capture her life   happenings, relationships and culture. “My indigenous style was not learned or planned, it just happened and I feel this flowing through me from my father’s family and our collective dreaming.”

Kerrie has talked about being drawn to walk in the bush and her wish to honour the wonderful land, water and bird animals where she lives and from her childhood.

“Even though I only started to paint at the age of 50, I have always loved looking at all types of art works; in part for the beauty but also for that sense of connection. The act of painting is giving and receiving at the same time and a sense of being one is a really special feeling”.

Kerrie is the Regional manager of Monash University School of Rural health in Bendigo, Indigenous Mentor to the medical students on clinical placement in Bendigo and a member of Indigenous Allied Health Professionals http://iaha.com.au

Painting in acrylic on timber side table.
Featuring Platypus. Colours are the feature to show how special the little Platypus is to me!