Creative workshop
Lesley Gena is an artist, art therapist, and counsellor. She is currently a clinician at Willow Tree Wellness in Hamden, Connecticut, USA, and was previously the Director of Art Programs at the People’s Resource Center, a non-profit dedicated to helping people on their journey to self-sufficiency. Lesley has over 17 years of experience working with individuals and families navigating a variety of emotional challenges. Throughout her career, she has had the privilege of helping clients use creativity to process experiences that words can’t always capture. She’s facilitated therapeutic arts programming for children, adults, and families, using art as a bridge to healing, self-awareness, and empowerment. Lesley’s own work has been included in several group art exhibitions throughout the cities of Chicago and Pittsburgh and her main artistic areas of focus are currently painting, drawing, and sound.
We will create a collagraph print, which involves cutting pieces out of thin cardboard to create a design that will be glued to a cardboard base (or plate) and then transferring ink or paint from the plate onto paper. The ink or paint will be rolled onto the surface of the plate and then transferred by placing a piece of paper on top of the prepared plate and rolling an object over the top of the paper. Participants will be able to create multiple images from their collagraph plate. Further considerations for the prints and how they can be used will be discussed as well as other ways to transfer the image that use different materials like crayon, pastel, graphite or chalk.