Art of Healing

Most people have finger painted before

But what about painting with the ear of a dog, or tail of a horse?

 =?

At Special Troopers Adaptive Riding School (or S.T.A.R.S. Inc), some students did just that. The art project was part of a fundraiser for the group but it ended up being a teaching tool as well. S.T.A.R.S. works with people with "physical, cognitive, emotional, behaviors or social challenges" so the physical act of painting was a great therapy exercise, especially when you mix in some animal partners. There's a slide show of the art work here.

While, that is the only time I've heard of animals being used as a medium for art, other groups have used animals as inspiration for art.

This is a blog that I follow and the writer occasionally offers art workshops which her animals are a part of.

http://apiferafarm.blogspot.com/p/puppetsfolk-dolls.html gives you the details about one coming up in September so you can experience for yourself what animals and art can do.

Even the San Diego Zoo has gotten into connecting animals, art and healing. Here's a video from one of their workshops:

You can find more program information here at their old website or learn about what they are currently doing here at their new website.