Art Cures

02/28/2026

Here’s Joey, our baby kangaroo. 💓

After my dear cat Pablo died at the beginning of COVID, there was a lot of emptiness. As so many of you know pet loss cuts deep. So we took a short break from having cats that ended up turning into 5 years.

And then it became hard to make the transition to pet ownership again. We tried getting two kittens after moving to Virginia who were a little too feral, and it completely stressed me out. We gave them back to the foster org. Then there were a lot of starts and stops.

In early January, we decided we were as ready as we would ever be and that we were going to look for another ginger cat, an adult cat or older kitten. We took a trip to the local ASPCA and there was this guy at 5 months. He was affectionate and confident and let me hold him in his arms.

We almost left to sleep on the decision but someone else was coming in an hour specifically to meet him. So I took a big breath and we jumped in.

Kittens are a lot of work! Tearing around, getting into my well cared for plants, demanding attention - yet now at 6 months we are all finding our rhythm. In some ways life is easier without a pet, but the wonder and sweetness he brings is unmatched.

02/26/2026

I recently learned of the work of Minneapolis painter Mary Guzowski, who has been creating what she calls “protest paintings” in response to the fear and upheaval unfolding in her local neighborhoods. Living amid the tension and uncertainty surrounding recent ICE raids, Mary turns to her canvas during sleepless nights. 🎨

Painting becomes her way of staying present, processing what feels overwhelming, and transforming anxiety into color, gesture, and form.

Mary is a professor of architecture at the University of Minnesota and has also been an active Zen Buddhist practitioner for decades. These paintings are not only protest. They are meditation. 🕊️ They are witness. They are a way of metabolizing chaos without turning away from it.

In times like these, creativity can become a buoy. 🌊 Not an escape from reality, but a way to stay steady within it. Art can hold what feels unbearable and, in doing so, help us remain human. ✨🖌️

02/18/2026

✨ Last Chance to Join Creative Gateways ✨

If you have been feeling the pull to create…
If you have been craving reflection, connection, and space to breathe…
This is your gentle nudge.

Creative Gateways begins this Saturday, and registration is closing.

In times that feel uncertain or heavy, gathering in community to move, write, paint, and listen can be a buoy. This series is not about being “good” at art. It is about showing up honestly. It is about tending your inner life. It is about remembering that creativity lives inside you, waiting.

We will explore visual art, writing, and somatic movement in a supportive in-person space here in Charlottesville. You do not need experience. Only curiosity.

If your heart has been whispering yes, I would love to welcome you.

Join us before doors close. 💛

👉 Enroll here: https://art-cures.com/gateways/

02/11/2026

❄️🎨 CREATIVE GATEWAYS | CHARLOTTESVILLE

Long winter days have a way of inviting us inward.

If you are craving connection, creativity, and a pause from the noise, Creative Gateways is a warm, in-person expressive arts series happening right here in Charlottesville.

Join me for four Saturdays of:
• Art
• Movement
• Creative reflection
• Nervous system soothing practices

No art experience needed. Just curiosity.

🗓 Feb 21 & 28, March 7 & 14, 2026
⏰ 1 to 3pm
📍 In person | Charlottesville, VA

Give yourself something nourishing to look forward to this winter.

👉 Enroll here: https://art-cures.com/gateways/

02/04/2026

I loved this conversation so much 💛

I recently joined Creative Peacemeal with host Tammy Takaishi, and we explored what it truly means to work creatively in the field of mental health.

We talked about creative arts therapy, my award-winning documentaries, the creative process as a path of healing, and how art can open doors to insight, resilience, and connection when words fall short.

It was such a thoughtful and spacious dialogue, and I’m grateful for the care Tammy brings to these conversations.

If you’re curious about creativity as medicine, this one’s for you. ✨

🎧 Listen here
https://www.creativepeacemeal.com/adriana-marchione-creative-arts-therapist-discusses-her-field-her-award-winning-documentaries-and/

02/02/2026

Winter sure hit hard this year. My third winter since I moved back to the East Coast. The cold and snow has slowed things down and slowed me down. Sometimes it feels cozy and other times I feel heavy and trapped inside, emotionally and physically. For me a creative mindset and making artwork in any form is a way through. Part of why I do the work I do is to stay in the creative stream where so much beauty, nourishment and fulfillment lives.

Things will start warming up next week - and I’m offering my first in-person expressive arts class series in Charlottesville that starting February 21st. There is a great group that has signed up so far and I have a few spaces left. I’m so looking forward to sharing my work using visual art, movement, and writing. No art experience necessary - just a willingness to be open and connect in a meaningful way with oneself and others.

If you need a boost and are in the area, come join us! Feel free to PM me or comment below if interested or have questions. I’ve also extended the early-bird discount due to the recent storm. Link with all the details in my bio!

01/28/2026

01/28/2026

✨ Feeling honored and deeply grateful ✨

I am so moved to be featured in Christine “Sunshine” DeJuliis’s beautiful article on Sunshine the Artist , a thoughtful, soul-deep reflection on creativity, healing, and community in recovery. Christine’s words beautifully capture the heart of why creative practice matters and the power of shared art in our lives.

Thank you, Christine, for your kindness, insight, and generosity in telling this story and for shining a light on the work I’m so passionate about. Your writing holds so much heart and wisdom, it was a gift to be included! 🙏💛

If you haven’t read it yet, dive into this moving piece here: https://sunshinetheartist.substack.com/p/fe3d2362-a8fa-4a88-b53b-6abc0e7714fb

01/26/2026

This is truly winter, got through the storm yesterday, and felt the sun on my face today. This is the ebb and flow of life. So much on my mind and heart of late, just letting the images speak for now.

01/21/2026

✨ Early bird ends Sunday, January 25 ✨

Creative Gateways is a four week, in person expressive arts series in Charlottesville from February 21 to March 14. We meet Saturdays from 1 to 3 pm to slow down, reflect, and reconnect through art, movement, writing, and simple somatic practices.

You do not need to be an artist. You just need curiosity and a desire for time and space to breathe, create, and listen inward.

Early bird pricing is $275 through Sunday 1/25, then tuition moves to $325.

Save your spot here: https://art-cures.com/gateways/

01/14/2026

Opening the Creative Door to 2026
Lab Time • Tonight • 6:30 to 8 pm ET

A new year does not need to begin with pressure or plans. It can begin with presence. Tonight’s Lab Time is a chance to step into 2026 by making something, feeling something, or simply giving yourself a moment to be with your creative self. ✨

This gathering is not about productivity or outcomes. It is about letting your inner world stretch after a long year and asking what wants to move, be drawn, be written, or be shaped next. You might come with a blank page, a half-finished piece, or just curiosity. All of it belongs here. 🎨📓🧶

Lab Time is a gentle creative container shared with others who value art as a way to listen, reflect, and begin again. It is open to all and offered by donation.

The first Lab Time of 2026 happens tonight:
Wednesday, January 14
6:30 to 8 pm ET

There is still time to join us. Send me a DM or comment below to get the link and step into this creative moment.

01/07/2026

🌿 An invitation to pause, create, and reconnect 🌿

Creative Gateways is a four week in person expressive arts journey for anyone longing to feel more grounded, inspired, and alive. This is a space to step out of the noise of daily life and into creative practices that support reflection, emotional release, and renewed energy.

Each session we will explore art making, movement, writing, and simple somatic tools that gently support the nervous system and open new creative pathways. You do not need to be an artist. You only need a willingness to explore what wants to emerge ✨

📍 Charlottesville, VA
🗓 Four Saturdays | Feb 21–March 14, 2026 | 1–3pm

Come nourish your creative spirit in community 💛

🔗 Enrollment link here: https://art-cures.com/gateways/