Art therapy helps cancer patients put emotions to paper

Susan Allen contemplated the blank canvas before her. Slowly, she began to paint: first a tree, then an apple, then grass, mountains and sky — all in solemn colors, a swirl of blues, grays and browns.

“That’s what I felt the most, loneliness,” said Allen, a cancer patient since 2008.

The assignment was to paint an emotion triggered by pain. Allen chose loneliness.

But today she is not alone. Around her, eight others paint in the quiet room: anger, fear, sadness, doubt, the list goes on.

Wednesday, Allen was one of dozens of patients, caregivers and family members who participated in a free art therapy class offered by the Centra Alan B. Pearson Regional Cancer Center.

The watercolor classes, which began Tuesday and run through today, are the first in a programming series aimed at providing a holistic healing for cancer patients and their families, said associate medical director Dr. Joy Hilliard.

“Our challenge is to meet the needs of the entire individual and the entire family,” she said.

“The mind/body experience is what we’re trying to achieve for our patients.”

Lynchburg native Emily Wade, who has a degree in art from the University of Virginia, leads the sessions. Demand was strong, with more than 120 participants filling the available slots.

During Wednesday’s afternoon session, some in the room had never painted before. For others, it had been years.

Wade, 23, warmed them up by sharing her story. For eight years, she endured chronic pain in her arms from tendonitis. She bottled up her emotions, unable to express them in words.

Her sister encouraged her to explore her emotions on the canvas. Wade was open to the idea, but it wasn’t easy.

“The thought of experiencing my emotions on paper for others to see was terrifying,” Wade said to the class.

Over time, her paintings, though rooted in pain, gave way to expressions of faith and beauty.

“I’ve found such an emotional healing through art, something I never would have expected,” she said.

After her introduction, Wade prompted the class to name emotions they have experienced while dealing with their cancer. Suggestions flew: loss, regret, weariness, faith.

Wade jotted each one down on the whiteboard.

“I think it’s important to acknowledge these emotions because if we don’t acknowledge them, they can control us,” she said.

After a demonstration of watercolor techniques, Wade left each person to their own creativity. The only parameters were to paint two pictures — one exploring pain, and the other, healing.

At the end of the 90-minute session, each painting was as distinct as the person who created it. Through color and images, the work provided a glimpse into each participant’s inner-world.

For Allen, the class gave her a positive experience at the cancer center, a place that she associates with sometimes-painful medical treatments. “It allowed me to come here to the cancer center and enjoy myself,” she said. “You spend so many hours here, hooked up to an IV, knowing you’re going to come home not feeling very well.”

Jim Ford, 67, of Concord, took the class Tuesday at the encouragement of his wife, who works at Centra.

“I was a little skeptical,” he said. “I’m not an artist. I didn’t know what to expect.”

Ford, who is a cancer survivor, found the class to be cathartic.

“It takes your mind off of everything,” he said.

Sandi Clark, 56, has been a cancer patient since 2006. She is a veteran painter, but finds it hard to find time for art in the midst of treatments.

One of her paintings depicted red flowers poking through lush green leaves. This was her healing picture.

“I love plants and new growth, to me that’s the most healing thing in the world. Green leaves, bright red flowers. I cannot look at flowers and not smile.”

After months without painting, this class released her creative juices once again. She hugged the instructor on the way out.

“Thank you,” she said. “This was the jumpstart I need to get back into painting.”