A  SHARED interest in the positive impact of art on mental health has brought together five very different artists for Energy and Stillness at Kidogo Arthouse.

The works include deceptively simple paintings by Teresa Pirovich, detailed drawings and paintings by Tamika Dillon and Liam Murphy and a selection of paintings and brightly hand-coloured etchings by Herman Isaac and Jane Mitchell.

Murphy didn’t discover his inner artist until he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia six years ago.

• Herman Isaac, Liam Murphy and Lesley Ross and (below) works by Jane Mitchell and Herman Isaac. Photo by Jenny D’Anger

“It offers me a way for self-expression through the stillness of image making, and to build on my belief of being competent again,” he says.

For Dillon creativity has played a large part in her recovery

“My art can be light and dark, it is what I hear and see. Intricate graphite and pencil drawings, which I can do for hours, often forgetting about who, where and what I am.”

Pirovich explores energy and inter-connectedness in her works.

“With my mental illness I feel that I have lost something; perception itself. This has brought loneliness, and the need for connection has been paramount.”

Mitchell and Isaac are disability support workers at Rocky Bay when they’re not working on their art.

Mitchell’s works range from large oil paintings to small etchings: “Which all seek to give the viewer an opportunity to appreciate the beauty of the world and to experience the qualities of energy and stillness.”

Energy and Stillness is at Kidogo Arthouse from June 2-8.

by JENNY D’ANGER