art that supports the healing process

MADELAINE SHELLABY

Yes! You can experience healing when you stand in front of a work of art. Stand in front of one of the paintings by P.C.Turczyn on exhibit recently at the New York Open Center. Look into her botanical mandalas and become aware of a renewed sense of balance and harmony. Colorful, active, radiant, her gilded paintings are alive with iridescent light, embedded within layers of resin interspersed with gold leaf, pigments, powdered bronze, mica, mother-of-pearl or abalone. The images move from a center and back again through exquisitely drawn details of an opening flower, or other plant or natural forms. Find then the subtle structural lines and other reiterative markings that echo the vibrations of creation. The images are both literally beautiful in and of themselves, and they allude to the breathing and pulsating of all life forms. Sound and other elements add to the visual expression of these works, as the show’s curator Lola Shepard explains, “The use of breath, sound, music, movement, dance, writing, prayer and meditation give support to the embodiment of the project’s theme, where somatic cues act as a touchstone during the development of the artwork. Each mandala illustrates a quality essential to wellbeing and a focal point for contemplation, enabling the viewer to bypass the verbal centers of the brain and allowing direct access to peace. Furthermore, this series incorporates sound activation played throughout the run of the show and mantras that transmit healing energy.”

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