POST-TRAUMATIC GROWTH:  Improving one’s sense of wellbeing using art, creative writing, photography and blogging – my journey written by ©Karen Robinson.  Please click here for my latest blog news!

EXHIBITION:  TAC “Picture This” 2010

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

November 5 -7 2010, I participated in Transport Accident Commission (TAC) exhibition called “Picture This” along with other artists whom had some how been affected by road trauma.  It was located at Atrium Fed Square – Melbourne, Australia.  “Picture This provides people who have been affected by road trauma to use artistic expression, whether it is drawing, painting, printmaking, ceramics, photography or textiles, to share their experiences.  The exhibitions showcase artwork by people who have either taken up art since being involved in a transport accident, or who were artists before their accident” (TAC. 2014).  As TAC is located within Geelong, Victoria (Australia), Picture This 2010 was also exhibited at Geelong Gallery Nov 12 – 14, 2010.

Transport Accident Commission. (2014). Claims and Support. Client Art Exhibition. Picture This 2013. Retrieved from http://www.tac.vic.gov.au/claims/client-zone/client-art-exhibition

 

Making the decision to be part of TAC’s “Picture This” 2010 was both difficult and important for myself and for my family.  During 2010, I had painted 3 paintings that were about the loss of my son who had been killed in a single vehicle car crash on the 5th November 2009.  He was 25 years old.  When I painted these paintings, it was very much for me.  I was painting my way through my grief.  It was a way of being able to express my thoughts and emotions which I found very difficult to say out loud.  Our family were deeply sad during this period of time in our lives; and at times, just talking to each other was at times almost too hard to do.  So for me, painting became a form of therapy, I way to tell my story about grief, loss and heart ache.  Please find below, the three abstract paintings and their stories I had exhibited at TAC’s “Picture This” 2010.

Painting No. 45A – Title “The Life of Our Son Ben” Jan/June 2010
Acrylic on Canvas
91cms Length x 91cms Wide x 3cms Deep
Painting Story: Our only son Ben was born on the 16/11/83 and died in a car crash 5/11/09 at the age of just 25, a number of days before his 26th Birthday. I had to do a painting to celebrate his life. To know that the time Ben wa here with us was a treasure shared with so many. Ben was loved and cherished and will be missed so much by all but mostly by us his mum (me), his dad and his sister. In memory of Ben and his life with us – we love you Ben…
Each band of colour represents a year of Ben’s life from a baby, toddler years, small child, teenager through to becoming a fully grown young man. Each colour represents the different emotions, feelings, experiences, growth Ben achieved in his 25 years with us. The spheres represent the worlds of people he had in his life from his own family of us (mum, dad and sister and his sister’s partner – and now husband), extended family of nana, pa (deceased), aunties, uncles and cousins, work colleagues, first love, last love, other girlfriends and his best of mates. In loving memory of our Ben…
Abstract Artist: Karen Robinson
NB: All images are protected by copyright laws!

Painting No. 45B – Title “The Death of Our Son Ben” Jan/June 2010
Acrylic on Canvas
91cms Length x 91cms Wide x 3cms Deep
Painting Story: Our son Ben was killed on the 5/11/09 in a single vehicle crash. Ben had just finished a 7 day shift at the Fosterville Gold Mines in Bendigo (Victoria, Australia) and was out with his Crew 3 work colleagues at their local drinking haunt. At approximately 1pm Thursday morning they headed off from the bar to home. Ben was able to get a Taxi but his boss was not able to get one. His boss said for Ben to take the Taxi and he would start walking home. Ben reached home and being concerned about his boss walking home decided to get into his car and go and pick up his boss and drive him home. This was a fatal decision Ben made. After picking up his boss, and getting him home safely, Ben headed back home via the road back to his work. This road was out through bush and farm land and kangaroo territory. At approximately 1.30am Ben traveling at approximately 140 kilometres and over 0.08 BAC (Blood Alcohol Concentration), hit a kangaroo. Ben lost control of his car and at high-speed collided into two trees set on the side of the road. Ben was killed instantly. It was not until approximately 5am that Ben was discovered dead by one of Fosterville Gold Mine People. Ben made a terrible decision to get into his car that night but for a good reason to ensure his boss got home safely. When we went up to see where Ben had his crash it was incredibly emotional, distressing and heart breaking. The decision to do a painting of Ben’s crash was all about trying to communicate to all young people about drinking and driving and how in just one split second, a life can be taken. That a young life taken is such a tragedy and that so many other people’s lives are deeply affected and changed forever as well for this loss…
This painting shows the split second of our son Ben’s death. The impact of his car of silver and crimson into the trees, the shattering of his car and his life. The road though what is very beautiful county Victoria (Australia), a strange contrast to the tragedy we were all facing! The blue in the crash is our boy’s soul, the gold is our treasured son and the blue triangles are his sole reaching for the night heavens. There is the road stretching into the distance and the gum trees in the bush fields.
Abstract Artist: Karen Robinson
NB: All images are protected by copyright laws!

Painting No. 45C – Title “The Loss of Our Son Ben” Jan/June 2010
Acrylic on Canvas
91cms Length x 91cms Wide x 3cms Deep
Painting Story: This painting was all about the loss of our son. The deep grief of this loss and the terrible emptiness felt by us. How we felt that without Ben we were left with nothing of his future. No hope, no marriage, no children of his, no heritage of our son forthcoming. As parents the loss of our only son is unrecoverable. There is only the past we have of him which we will cherish forever but no present and no future…
I was only hoping by painting this that young people could understand more fully about the issues of “drinking and driving”. Our son was just like any other young man who was trying to make a life for himself. But tragically Ben was not able to continue on with his. Hopefully we may be able to save a young person’s life by sharing our son’s tragedy.
Abstract Artist: Karen Robinson
NB: All images are protected by copyright laws!

 

 

TAC placed on their website, a series of client stories.  Please find here, a link to my family’s road trauma story depicted in a series of abstract paintings, I painted during 2010, 2011 and 2012.  Link:  http://www.tac.vic.gov.au/claims/client-zone/client-stories/stories/robinson-family

Footnote:

The process of painting, painting story writing and digital photo painting has offered me a way of expressing thoughts and emotions which can be difficult to say out loud.  I also came to understanding that art can be a very powerful way of communicating with others.  Therapy via art – gave me a voice…

My art therapy journey has been an important part of recent years and still will be an important part in years to come.  I am hoping that by sharing my art therapy journey, will inspire others, to take up art therapy to find their voice – in order to be able to move forward in most difficult of times.  Art Therapy has brought me now to a much better place where I find myself being able to seek joy in each day.  As an ongoing process, I will be blogging about my art therapy journey “moving forward” and expand on how others have used/are using art therapy to assist physical and emotional well-being.  I hope you will join me!

 

© Karen Robinson – April 2014

POST-TRAUMATIC GROWTH:  Improving one’s sense of wellbeing using art, creative writing, photography and blogging – my journey written by ©Karen Robinson.  Please click here for my latest blog news!