Colondra Seals jumped from a second-story window to escape a house fire at 17th and York streets more than a decade ago. She has burns on 90 percent of her body and developed an infection in her left leg that resulted in an amputation at the knee.
At the Comhar Community Living Room July 1, she took a microphone and sang, “As the sun shines on all of my glory, my flaws don’t look so bad at all,” from the Jazmine Sullivan song “Masterpiece.” Seals concluded the performance by revealing the self-portrait she painted over the last three months as part of the fifth-annual Art and Recovery show.
“The main thing I learned is our skin looks one color but we’ve got green and purple in there too,” she said. “There are all different colors in our skin. I had to take a really deep look to make it look like me.”
Seals’ piece was one of 170 created for this year’s show at the Community Living Room in Center City. The program serves adults with HIV and mental-health diagnoses. It has received an LGBT-affirming designation from the city of Philadelphia.
Individuals who fit the program can join by visiting the Community Living Room at 100 S. Broad St. during walk-in hours every Wednesday morning, said Rashad Scott, the program’s director. They will meet with a therapist to determine their eligibility, which can take up to a week. Caseworkers and doctors from other institutions can also recommend their clients to the program.
“Art is such a major part of the Community Living Room,” Scott said. “We understand the importance of art expression and how it contributes to our quality of life.”
Gary Schoenberg, a psychologist at Comhar, said creating something helps people see themselves as contributors to society. He emphasized that Comhar uses a model that asks, “What are your hopes and dreams?” instead of, “What’s the problem?”
Alicia Mino led art classes for 55 people every Tuesday and Friday leading up to the Art and Recovery show. Many participants credited their work to Mino’s patience as a teacher.
Standing in front of her painting of an orangutan, Kelly Williams said Mino taught her shading and how to mix colors. She used a fine brush in a pointillism style, combining brown and orange for the fur.
“The details, especially with animals, are hard to get,” Williams said. “It relaxes me.”
Jon Coates was also interested in color in his work. He showed off a pink and green mandala he designed, as well as large-scale portrait surrounded by geometric designs.
“Alicia may give us an idea and I pick my own colors,” Coates said of his process. “Colors speak to you. Picking the colors that make [the art] move was really fun.”
Coates’ mother, Juanita, came to the opening of the Art and Recovery show. She said she felt proud of her son and pleasantly surprised by his artistic ability.
“I know he can paint because he paints my house, but this is beautiful,” she said.
