Decorating flower pots serves as healing method for locals at Ormond Art Museum

The monthly Art of Healing class was held on Jan. 11.

By Paige Wilson
| 2:18 p.m. January 12, 2018

Ormond Beach residents Adele Martz and Brenda de Treville talk about the healing aspects of craft classes like this. Photo by Paige Wilson

Ormond Beach resident Judy Janick cut out inspiring and calming words from magazines for her flower pot. Photo by Paige Wilson

Ormond Beach resident Sherr Colbeth cuts up a copy of the Ormond Beach Observer to make a unique decoration on her flower pot. Photo by Paige Wilson

Ormond Beach resident Brenda de Treville said crafts like flower pot decorating are a "mindless meditation" that can help heal. Photo by Paige Wilson

Sherry Colbeth pastes clippings from the Ormond Beach Observer onto her flower pot. Photo by Paige Wilson

Ormond Beach resident Eleanor Abbott adds more colorful tissue paper to her flower pot. Photo by Paige Wilson

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Cancer has affected many parts of Brenda de Treville’s life. Her mother died of ovarian cancer at age 48. Her sister battled breast cancer when she was 34 and went through five years of treatment before she was in remission. Treville herself was diagnosed with melanoma on her second wedding anniversary.

“(The doctor) said I wasn’t going to be able to straighten my arm again, but I worked hard to be able to,” Treville said.

As the Ormond Beach resident decorated her flower pot with shades of blue tissue paper during an Art of Healing class at the Ormond Memorial Art Museum, she started conversations with about a dozen other participants about what she’s overcome to encourage them to do the same in their lives.

“That’s why you should celebrate and live life fully,” said Treville.

Ormond Beach resident Sherr Colbeth sat across from Treville while cutting up pieces of the Ormond Beach Observer to decorate her pot.

“I keep coming here for other people,” Colbeth said.

She said she lost one friend to cancer and that another one is currently living with stomach cancer. Colbeth plans to give this pot to her friend in the hopes it’ll bring a smile.

Museum Education and Outreach Curator Kristin Heron said many participants keep coming back every month because they’ve now made friends in the group.

“The meditative quality of a lot of the projects is something anyone can do,” Heron said. “You don’t have to think a lot about it.”