Process Painting
Let the subconscious lead as you paint whatever comes to you
Process Painting is very wonderful and it is also very hard to describe! Essentially, you paint whatever comes to you and allow the painting to unfold from an intuitive, subconscious place. For some, this can be meditative or offer a way of accessing a deeper source of creativity. For others it can be a way of going towards difficult emotions and honouring them.
Either way, it is very much NOT about painting a picture to hang on a wall or post on instagram or even just to show a friend. As the name suggests, it is all about the process. It’s a little like free-flow writing or journaling in that respect - its value lies in the doing, in getting things out of your body and onto the page and allowing what is true for you.
What to Expect in a Process Painting Session
Imagine yourself standing in front of a large piece of paper and asking your body, “What do you want me to paint?”
Your body tells you to paint a goldfish, so you paint a goldfish. Then you ask your body, “Now what"?” and you suddenly think of the colour black. You don’t know why, but you decide to trust that black came to you for a reason. You load your paintbrush with black and follow your instinct. Before you know it, the goldfish is wearing a black top hat. The painting process continues like this until a moment comes when you say, “I think it’s done.”
Perhaps while you’re painting you notice that the goldfish reminds you of your grandfather, or that some sadness came up in your chest as you painted the top hat. Or maybe not. Maybe you just look at the painting and think, well, that’s random, but I quite enjoyed painting it. Perhaps it felt playful or grounding. Either way, you know that something important was happening, that you were connecting with something within and that what you have painted is a kind of truth.
“For me, Process Painting is a way of accessing a deeper inner truth, of digging beneath the ego and who we think we SHOULD be or the way we think we SHOULD be feeling, and allowing who and what is really there to be expressed.”
Navigate your inner world through process painting
If you need to go towards some difficult stuff rather than looking for ways to soothe the nervous system, Process Painting can be a very supportive tool.
We often feel like our inner world is wrong in some way, or not welcome. Sometimes, we don’t even know something is there - a feeling or belief, perhaps - because it is lingering in our subconscious, and at other times, we know what is there but we are scared to let it be seen or heard.
In Process Painting we allow whatever wants to be there to be painted. Instead of trying to contain the intensity of difficult emotions or pushing it all away, we can use the paints to fully express what desperately needs to be heard and seen. In doing so, those feelings can finally settle into a deep sense of peace.
“I found the process painting sessions with Henri really enlightening. I felt very safe with her, gently encouraged and clear about the process.
I loved the freedom of it, and was surprised by the depth of insight I gained.”
— JG
Frequently Asked Questions
These questions pop up regularly, but please feel free to get in touch if you have any further queries.
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No. In fact, you don’t even need to think of yourself as creative. Process Painting is for anyone and everyone who wants to give it a go.
The less you worry about the finished painting looking good or proving your artistic talent, the more you’ll get out of it.
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Normally between 6-8 people.
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That’s totally understandable. How it works with process painting is that, apart from initial hello’s and an introduction to the session, all your discussion/interaction will be with your facilitator, Henri. All participants are asked to agree to not commenting on each others’ paintings and process. This has the benefit of allowing important things to be shared and witnessed, but not to be judged in any way.
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All the materials are provided, so you will be set up with a large sheet of paper (and more to hand), your own painting station, and access to all brushes and paints. We actually use poster paints as these help to stop painters from becoming precious about what they are painting!
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This completely varies. Sometimes, a painter will start and finish a painting in half an hour or so. Other times, a painter will find themselves working on one painting across several sessions. Either way, once a painting is complete, there will be a conversation with your facilitator, and then more or less immediately on to the next sheet of paper for a new painting.
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No, process painting can be a powerful way to work with your emotions and your inner world, and a lot of people find it therapeutic, but it is not the same as formal art therapy.