Kelly Otto
Project title: Art Therapy and Parents of Children with a Life Limiting Condition
Kelly Otto is an emerging Art Therapist and visual artist living and creating on Yuggera and Turrbal Country. Her art practice is a reflection of her connection to the natural world and her evolving relationships with herself, others, and her community. Through an attachment lens, Kelly explores the delicate and complex nature of these relationships, translating her insights into meaningful art works.
Kelly’s pursuit of Art Therapy stems from her love of connecting with people, and supporting them to express their inner worlds through creative means. With a background in social work, Kelly has worked with children at risk of homelessness and adults living with disabilities, experiences that profoundly shaped her understanding of the need for non-verbal forms of therapy. It was Kelly’s own personal experience with grief and loss that led her to recognize how powerful art can be in expressing emotions that are difficult to put into words, inspiring her to pursue Art Therapy as a way to help others navigate their own complex feelings and experiences.
Kelly’s research focuses on the experience of parents who have a child with a life limiting condition, and how art therapy has been conducted with this population. This research is informed by Kelly’s time working in paediatric palliative care, where she witnessed firsthand the immense emotional weight carried by these families. From the moment of diagnosis, these parents face unimaginable stress, putting them at greater risk of physical and mental health challenges. Through her research, Kelly explores how Art Therapy can provide a compassionate and healing space for these families, helping them process the profound stress, anxiety, grief and loss that often accompany their journey.
Kelly’s artworks for her thesis narrate her journey of study, from grappling with the technical skills and the emotional and mental load of doing a research project, to the importance of finding compassion to sustain herself through her research and working in the palliative space. Kelly attempts to weave elements of attachment such as attunement, safety, proximity, and separation to explore the dynamics of the child-parent relationship in the Paediatric Palliative space in her research. These same elements also serve as a framework for understanding her relationship with herself as she works to overcome negative self-talk and self-criticism through the practice of self-compassion. Kelly has chosen ceramic home wares as a medium to reflect this journey, as they silently facilitate our social connections and bear witness to the conversations we have with ourselves and others.
White speckle Clay, Porcelain Paper Clay, midfire glazes, resin, copper leaf, plastic lamp holder, and plastic light bulb
33cm diameter x 6cm H
Energy and pressure expressed as thumbprints while contemplating attachment. In paediatric palliative care handprints are keepsakes. The light highlights the prints - casting shadows, exposing peaks, and pushing light through fragile skin.
Porcelain Paper Clay, midfire glazes, resin, copper leaf, plastic lamp holder, and plastic light bulb
33cm diameter x 6cm H
Connections in parent-child bonds. Attachment can be affected by family, relationships, and the uncertainty of life. Connection lines cross over, there can be cracks, gaps of dissonance, however, light is to hold hope both in learning and finishing research.
Porcelain Paper Clay, midfire glazes, resin, copper leaf, plastic lamp holder, and plastic light bulb
33cm diameter x 6cm H
Windows of Tolerance, Cognitive Dissonance, & Unresolved Loss. I’m uncertain of the research I have found and if it will be worthwhile to follow through with.
Keanes Red Earth Midfire Clay, Shino, pink gloss, celadon midfire glazes
9cm H x 7.3cm diameter
I lost sight of the bigger picture, and I missed hanging out with my toddler. There is no protocol for juggling work, study, spending quality time with family and doing the washing.
Keanes Red Earth Midfire Clay, Midfire Glazes, Shino, pink Pearl, Botz blue, celadon midfire glazes, iron oxide
21cm daimeter x 1.5cm H
I had met with the librarian for 5 weeks in a row. My brain was a psychedelic mush. There were so many mountains to conquer and so much I had to learn to quickly to scale these mountains.
Keanes Red Earth Midfire Clay, Midfire Glazes, iron oxide
19cm diameter x 8cm H
I supported bereaved families. It took a toll on my body and health. It certainly put things into perspective. I was challenged by how I needed to not just think about but act on being self-compassionate to get through research.
Keanes Red Earth Midfire Clay, Midfire Glazes, iron oxide
8cm diameter x 9cm H
It is like being in the third trimester of pregnancy. Bloated full of knowledge and data. Words and ideas kicking around and disturbing my sleep. Will I be able to give birth… to a thesis?
Midfire speckle clay, Midfire Glazes
25cm diameter x 2.5cm H
Made me think of the parent-child relationships in my research. For the moments that are so tough that the people who love us will stand by us. Gratitude for my husband, my son, mother-in-law, placement team, supervisors, and my friends.
Keanes Red Earth, Iron oxide, Midfire Glazes
16cm diameter x 10cm H
“It is not the length of the life, but the depth of the life.” -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Paper, cardboard, gold leaf
70cm x 65cm
This vision board started the beginning of my semester reflecting what could get me through. I ended the semester grounding myself into things that I love and am passionate about. Sewing threads of compassion into my research and my self-care.