Finding the Spark when you're Feeling Burnt Out: Touched by Fire

You know what they say: when you play with fire you get burned. But that doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing (look at Richard Simmons). Sometimes you can harness the blaze into just the spark you need.

Enter Touched by Fire: art exhibition and gala.

Sponsored by the Mood Disorder Association of Ontario (MDAO), Touched by Fire showcases the artistic creations of artists affected by mood disorders. From anxietyand depression to bipolar disorder and seasonal affective disorder, mood disorders are enough to break even the strongest of us down into weepy self-loathing puddles of pity. But these artists don’t give in.

("Beethoven" Ingrid Vellekoop)

This event is about running the condition, not letting the condition run you. It’s about channeling its power into constructive, rather than destructive, means (that’s right, use the force, Luke). And believe me, those means bring some pretty impressive ends – just look at Michelangelo, Van Gogh or Georgia O’Keefe.

My personal favorites works are by artist Ingrid Vellekoop, who works through her clinical depression to capture the acute facial expressions of her subjects. She works with a wide range of media and does a lot of celebrity portraits. My personal favorites are her mixed media work of Beethoven and her oil painting of Bob Dylan.

("Bob Dylan" Ingrid Vellekoop)

The Touched by Fire exhibition and gala is this Thursday night (November 26^th) at the Royal Ontario Museum (if you’re interested, check out the Facebook group). If you can’t make it, be sure to check out the online gallery. It features an enormous collection of drawings, paintings, photography, digital art, and mixed media.