Philosophy & Ethos

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© Alicia van den Abeele

Following from my Meet the Artist, here's more about what drives the work I do and how art, animals and nature have come together to build my philosophy & ethos.

© Alice Peretie

Art & Wellbeing

To me, creating art resembles a non-verbal interaction between the embodied mind of the artist and their canvas, allowing for the exploration and expression of the artist's emotions, and for the visual appreciation of those emotions by the viewer. The art of creation facilitates a real attunement to the present moment, where thoughts and feelings are acknowledged but leave the mind without opportunity to dwell on them.

Animals & Nature

As beings of the natural world with important ecological roles, we are continuously interacting non-verbally with our environment - and it is this engagement that enables us to survive and thrive within it. Tuning into our authentic state, environment and the present moment encourages us to integrate our most primitive selves and allows us to access nature's therapeutic potential.

My Master's Research demonstrated that our interactions with animals particularly manifests this, with horse-human communication being principally founded on emotional authenticity and mind-body unity in humans.

Get in contact to know more about my research.

© Alicia van den Abeele

Connectivity

To me, the emotional interaction with your canvas is not so different to the interaction we can have with the natural world. Both interactions are embodied, non-verbal, focus on the present moment, the authentic self and hold an important therapeutic function.

The natural world can remarkably inspire artistic creations, and our creativity can help us better understand the natural environment around us. All in all, I count myself very lucky to work with fascinating and interconnected worlds.