Southern Indiana veteran finds healing through art, nature
CLARKSVILLE, Ind. (AP) - The Falls of the Ohio has long been a meaningful place for Jeffersonville artist Mike Gibson - it's a place where he can explore the intersection of art, nature and therapy.
Gibson is currently working with the Falls of the Ohio Foundation and Arts Alliance of Southern Indiana to teach a series of art classes at the Interpretive Center of the Clarksville state park. From spring through fall, he works for the Indiana Department of Natural Resources as a seasonal naturalist at the Falls of the Ohio.
In the art classes, he is teaching art fundamentals, as well as activities ranging from sketching the exhibits to painting fossils on wine glasses. Gibson uses a variety of approaches in his art, including oil painting, water color and installations.
His work explores the 'œthings we take for granted, whether it be an overlooked landscape or the idea of what women endure in the military,'ť he said.
Gibson began last year at the state park as a seasonal naturalist, but his connection to the site stretches back to his childhood, and it has often been a place that he comes back to find peace and inspiration.
'œIn school, in environmental science classes, I did my papers about this place,'ť Gibson said. 'œIn my speech classes, I did all my speeches about this place. This place means a lot to me. I was introduced to the Falls area when I was 6 years old, and I introduced my youngest when she was 4, bringing her down here. It's an amazing place.'ť
He is a U.S. Army veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder, and art and nature have played a major role in finding relief. When he becomes triggered, it helps to visit the Falls of the Ohio.
'œThis place just immediately relaxes me,'ť he said.
Gibson grew up in Southern Indiana, and he graduated from Jeffersonville High School. After graduation, he went into the Army, where he served for four years with the 25th Infantry Division before getting out in 1992. He then served for two years with the Indiana National Guard in New Albany.
After the military, he started working for a variety of companies, and in 2008, his PTSD worsened when he was laid off from his factory job.
'œI had really struggled since I got out,'ť he said. 'œMy background is not so much war-related, though I did go to war during Operation Desert Storm. But what happened over there during that time, it was a military sexual trauma - that was my issue.'ť
He ended up in the psychiatric unit of the Robley Rex VA Medical Center in Louisville after a suicide attempt, and he asked his doctors for his paint set.
Patients would gather around to watch him paint, he recalled.
Art was a major focus for Gibson in high school, and he would frequently draw when he was in the Army. When he left the Army, he would watch Bob Ross on television, which inspired him to start painting. He became involved in local art events and groups, and he was encouraged to find his own technique of painting.
When he got out of the hospital, he applied for disability, and when he was awarded the benefits, he learned he was eligible to attend college through vocational rehabilitation through the VA.
He went to a Kentucky College of Art and Design at Spalding University in Louisville, and he graduated with a degree in fine arts. After graduation, he didn't pursue the normal path of applying for grants or participating in art shows, and he was instead focused on ways he could use art to help other veterans. He notes how it has helped himself endure PTSD.
'œIf I felt triggered, I would grab a brush, and next thing you know, a couple hours go by, I forgot that I was even triggered,'ť Gibson said. 'œI was just painting.'ť
Over the years, he has led a number of efforts focused on veterans. Before the pandemic, he led a weekly art group with mental health patients at the Robley Rex VA Medical Facility in Louisville through the Kentucky Center for the Arts' Arts and Healing Program.
He taught painting at the Warriors Transition Battalion at Fort Knox in Kentucky in 2015, and he has taught art to veteran students at the Elizabethtown Community and Technical College.
Gibson worked to start a program called Warrior's Path, which was aimed to help veterans with PTSD with their transition back into civilian life. The program focused on art for focus, outdoor recreation for meditation and community service for re-instilling a sense of purpose, and it often involved taking veterans to the Falls of the Ohio to clean up trash.
The Warrior's Path program didn't take off, Gibson said, but he has continued to focus on the emotional and healing aspects of art.
When Gibson was growing up, he was often in the woods with his father and grandfather going hunting or fishing. He loved being outdoors, and he recalls how his grandfather would identify the names of trees and other plants.
His paintings in college were often focused on natural landscapes, and he eventually became interested in working for the DNR. In 2016, he started working as a seasonal naturalist at Deam Lake State Recreation Area in Borden.
At Deam Lake, he focused on teaching visitors about topics such as the ecosystem and sustainability. When he landed the seasonal job at the Falls of the Ohio, he started learning more about geology, which was an 'œeye-opener,'ť he said.
Working at the Falls of the Ohio has given him a different perspective on a familiar landscape.
'œI look at all the things I did all my paintings about, and I was not realizing what they actually were at the time,'ť he said. 'œIt's like, holy smokes, I'm painting something that's 390 million years old.'ť
Naturalists typically have science degrees, but Gibson has found a connection between his background as an artist and his work as a naturalist, and he has fallen in love with the job.
He has taught monthly art programs in his experience through working for the DNR at the Falls of the Ohio. For Mental Health Awareness Month in May, he plans to lead a class to create mandalas using natural materials.
In his job as a naturalist, responsibilities range from caring for the bird sanctuary to removing invasive plant species, and he enjoys showing groups the fossil beds along the Ohio River. He is looking forward to the upcoming season, and he is planning to lead activities such as hikes focused on songbirds to taking groups to some fishing hotspots at the park.
Gibson is hoping to receive certification to become a full-time naturalist, as well a certification to lead therapy hikes. He would love to bring in patients from the VA hospital for therapy hikes at the Falls of the Ohio, he said.
Kenton Wooden, executive director of the Falls of the Ohio Foundation, said he appreciates the passion Gibson has for the state park, and he was excited for the opportunity to bring him back for the art classes.
'œHe did the art programs here, and those really took off, and it just seemed like a really interesting way to bring art here and to educate people about what we have at the falls here,'ť Wooden said. 'œMike is in this really unique position of someone who is passionate about the Falls of the Ohio and is an artist, so he's able to bring both of those things together and share them with people in different ways.'ť
'œIt's not a hike, it's not normal programming, but it's learning about this landscape through art, he said.
Paig Trinkle, programming director and curator for the Arts Alliance of Southern Indiana, notes that the organization wanted to spread the message out about Gibson, saying it's 'œimportant to get his talent out there, knowing that it helps so many people.'ť
Gibson emphasizes that 'œnature is an artist,'ť and he finds inspiration from everything from natural agate formations resembling landscape paintings to the geometric composition of a snowflake viewed under a microscope.
He describes the Falls of the Ohio as such a 'œrich, historical landmark'ť that continues to teach him, whether it is the Devonian fossil beds or the wildlife of the site.
'œNature will show you art - what it creates on its own,'ť Gibson said.
-
Source: News and Tribune