Preparing for our First Friday show coming up, the student members of Marywood University’s Art Therapy track are creating individual pieces to pair with our theme “Forward Toward Growth.” Because a lot of my pieces are still in progress, I am submitting a piece that I created as a reflection from my trip to Paris, France. I traveled to Paris two years ago with many other art students at Marywood and visited the amazing museums in the city.

With all the beautiful sites in Paris, I became extremely drawn to famous Artist Renoir’s portraits of women and how beautifully they were done. I have never been confident in my work when painting/drawing people or faces. I always became really frustrated, irritated, and discouraged when it came to models.

After this trip to Paris, however, I found a different perspective on portraits and work done of models, especially from Auguste Renoir. Below is the Renoir’s piece displayed in the Museé de l’Orangerie I felt most drawn to and my recreation of his piece. [Credits to Musee de l’Orangerie]

Although this piece does not exactly look it fits with the theme of the First Friday show, I have good reasoning why I have chosen my recreation of this piece to submit in this show. Completing this piece helped me get past my avoidance toward models, portraits, and features. The meaning behind our theme is to overcome fear and to choose to grow each time you have the opportunity to do so. My recreation of Renoir’s Gabrielle helped me to choose growth over succumbing to fear.

Don’t forget that Marywood University’s Art Therapy Association is presenting their first “First Friday” Show in Downtown Scranton, PA on November 2, 2018 in the basement of the Leonard Theater in on Adams Avenue! We would love to have as many visitors as possible, the more the merrier!

Featured image: [a close up moment in my recreation of Renoir’s piece]