The author’s method of painting dialogues as an example of action research. Report of a project carried out with students at the University of Gdansk

Abstract

As it is widely known, through art we can pour our emotions onto paper, we can paint our fear, our sense of loss, emptiness, suffering, lack. Viewing paintings or creating them has a self reflective and self therapeutic dimension. In a sense, because we are creative beings, our lives can become a work of art. We just must take a brush or pen in our hand and start creating. This is the essence of life the release of creation that can give us a sense of power or emotional stability. In this article I describe the author’s method of painting dialogues that I created in 2016. Initially, the project involved working with Gdansk artists, but over time, in my pedagogical practice, I have noticed that it also has a developing, therapeutic and creative impact on groups such as tutors, university teachers, early childhood education teachers, kindergarten teachers, parents, but also pre school, early childhood and children with disabilities (e.g., autism). In this article, I will present the method of painting dialogues implemented as an action research with pedagogy students of the University of Gdansk (a group of twenty five people, both women and men) in 2021–2022.