Math in Relation to Art Therapy

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Jennifer Pendarvis April 27,2012 Mathematics Relating to an Art Therapy Career Mathematics in relation to art therapy has 2 different areas to focus on. One in relation to art and the other relating to Psychology. In art, mathematics is important in areas of geometry both in 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional forms, symmetry, perspective, even in mixing colors for paints, pastels, crayons, etc. Psychology brings research studies and statistics into the mix. With art therapy directly, there is a piece used as therapy called a mandala. A mandala involves anything from shapes to actual figures and forms placed inside a circle normally made to fit on a paper 8” x 10”. Many can basically be or resemble tiling or a tessellation. The definition for tiling in the book The Visual Mind: Art and Mathematics by Michele Emmer is “a covering of the plane by closed shapes that is without gaps or overlaps.” In the therapy sessions the person receiving the therapy colors in the forms in any way they like. Mandala’s can range from a complicated form to extremely simple made for a child or persons with handicaps. This activity is meant as therapy mostly as a form of meditation. Another way of creating various forms from even the simplest of tiling could be by grouping colors together in the separate geometric shapes formed on a page. Alternating certain colors can create depth as well. Cool colors giving a sense of receding and the warm colors visually popping forward. In creating a drawing or a painting say with the chess board pattern, this can very made simply by creating squares alternating black and white. Very easy with just a ruler and making each angles a 90 degree angle. This is perfectly fine when the goal is to create a background surface with no depth or perspective. For creating depth however, this is where the degree of the angles will change.
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