Media: Mini El-Duende/ El Duende process painting
Population: Adolescents
Condition: Disruptive, Impulse-Control and Conduct Disorders
This was my first time using el Duende in a whole-canvas fashion. My first attempt in a different class emphasized the individual elements of the ETC each week. That method felt somewhat limiting, resulting in my tentativeness and hesitance in covering the entire canvas. This time, I reminded myself to be conscious of using the whole space and not worrying about what approach I used for each individual layer. I spent about half an hour on each layer and used gesso selectively to keep the colors bright and cover previous layers completely. Between layers I took digital photographs, let the paint dry, and considered the work from different angles before continuing with the next layer. I estimate that I worked on the piece actively for 6-8 hours with a minimum of 20 minutes between layers and a maximum of about 10 hours.
The readings from this week were focused on the use of el Duende in supervision but I found that Dr. Miller’s One-Canvas Method in Art Therapy video was more applicable in considering this process with clients (Abreu, 2020; ). While I have never worked with adolescents, my classmates have described working with them at length in supervision. Adolescents seem to be easily frustrated with mistakes, which is why I think the opportunity to paint, collage, or gesso over unsatisfactory images would help them reframe unsuccessful works. They can paint over whatever "bad" layers they want, making the canvas a metaphor for holding space in the therapy room. Miller suggests that photo, audio, and video documentation of the process helps “facilitate memory and support multiple perspectives” on the el Duende painting process (Abreu, 2020). It is imperative to this kind of artmaking that there is time to reflect between each layer (Abreu, 2020). The amount of time will depend on the setting and needs of a therapy dyad or group but may be as little as one half hour (enough for paint to dry) or up to a week or more between sessions.
It was beneficial for me to use a smaller canvas than usual for this week’s artmaking. This reminded me that the size of a field or what it is made of can be daunting or welcoming, and that art therapists must use their clinical judgment to make this process work for their clients. All levels of the ECT can, presumably, be accessed through this type of process work depending on the materials used for each layer and the tools used to mediate the processes. For instance, encouraging free engagement for the first layer could serve as a sort of assessment stage for the art therapist. From there, the therapist could suggest the client focus on the piece in different ways to shift the client around the continuum.
To adjust this process for different clients, I would suggest using different materials or approaches. Multimedia is possible for this process if the order in which materials are used is considered carefully. For example, translucent materials like watercolors may not be visible over dark layers and acrylic paints do not stick to oil pastel. Such limitations may or may not be explained to the client beforehand depending on their treatment goals. I loved using tape resist in the later layers of my el Duende, and I did so specifically to revisit a technique that a former supervisor used with people who had limited motor function.
Dr. Abbe Miller’s presentation was focused on a small sample size (n=5) wherein the participants had no contact with each other (Abreu, 2020). I would be interested to track the process and cohesion of a group over time with parallel creation of these types of artworks. Or, perhaps, that a very cohesive group or family might work on one canvas together over time.
References
Abreu, J. (2020, October 22) One-canvas method in art therapy - Dr Abbe Miller's research presentation [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/EOSRdek2STI
Chilton, G., Lynskey, K., Ohnstad, E. & Manders, E. (2020) A case of el Duende: Art-based supervision in addiction treatment. Art Therapy. DOI:10.1080/07421656.2020.1771138
Robb, M. & Miller, A. (2017) Supervisee art-based disclosure in El Duende process painting. Art Therapy, 34(4), 192-200. DOI: 10.1080/07421656.2017.1398576