Bright Beginnings

Lisa Brown

I am a self-taught artist who has spent many years experimenting in mixed media while exhibiting and selling work in shows in NY and NJ. I have been teaching classes for over 40 years and developed a series of “art-as-therapy” workshops for those suffering with illness and adversity. I began these workshops while suffering myself with Lyme disease and finding relief only while in the process of creating. I have dedicated my life in the belief that art is therapeutic and can help you speak words hard to say, relieve stress and suffering, and allow you to escape for a few hours.
I have a BA in Art Education, a MA in Creative Arts Education and I have created and run programs for support groups (cancer, brain injured, empty nesters, bereavement, Therapists, teachers, and those in the service of others) at the local hospitals, cancer centers, high schools and (CEU’s) colleges, conferences, as well as offering a variety of workshops in my studio. I have taken my unique teaching skills across the United States to England, Ireland, and Mexico. I am the certified Supervisor and Regional Coordinator for the Creative Journal Expressive Arts (a program which incorporates art with journaling). 

In 2013 I published “Hold the Moments: Creative Experiences in Parenting“. This book has hundreds of art ideas for challenging, inspiring, and entertaining children and at the same time, encourages you and the children in your life to keep a journal of those joyful times spent together so that you can revisit them over and over.

In Oct 2022 I became the Lead Master Instructor for the non-profit Project Insight for the Creative Journal Expressive Arts Institute. I have been teaching the teachers for many years with my own unique programs When the creator died unexpectantly, I took over for her with the Executive Director, Dr. Marsha Nelson. 

During the 2020 lockdown I sent projects to do with children every week for those on my mailing list and began a “Torn Paper Collage” program with themes to help adults express feelings using magazine and scrap papers. I continued the “Torn Paper Collage” programs and am constantly creating new themes and new programs.

I am also an accomplished artist and have created many different types of work:

My signature pieces “Gardens of Hope” use vibrant colors that are bursting off the page. The dynamic combination of brilliant color, intricate texture (including painted home-made papers, tissue and beads) make these paintings intoxicating, lifting your spirits and making you feel as if you are laying among the blossoms on a sweet summer day. These are my favorite to create because I let the paint lead me by the way watercolors blend and mix. I don’t know where the painting will end when I begin therefore, I lose myself in the art process.

The “Texturescapes” I create are made to offer you a respite from the turmoil in your life by calming and relaxing you. They bring what I love most about nature to you in a delicate way by incorporating a variety of textured papers, many layers and the addition of paint.

In my “Children at Play” paintings I capture a child’s sense of joy so that you can almost hear their laughter. I often use a torn paper technique to enhance the feeling of childlike delight and contentment.

My “Fabric Collage” paintings are either scenes or children at play. This process entails selecting colors and fabric textures to mimic reality. The fabric is then cut and positioned many times until the composition is just right and glued.

To see more of my original work: art-as-therapy-store.myshopify.com