Peace of Minds

Peace of Minds

16x16"

Mixed Media on Board

Painting #199 - Do you remember how good everything felt when you were a teenager? That’s because the small structure inside your limbic system called the nucleus accumbens (reward center) actually got bigger when you approached adolescence and then got smaller again as you reached adulthood. Therefore, literally nothing will ever feel as good to you again as it did in your teens. Consequently, this intensity lures adolescents to rewards that impel them to do exciting and risky things. Despite the fact that adolescents are healthier, stronger and smarter than children, injury and death both increase between 200 and 300 percent between childhood and adolescence.

My painting depicts a warm and calm environment. A responsible and informed society has ensured that all young people have been supported and encouraged to develop self-regulation skills. A practice called Mindfulness has enabled adolescents to develop the ability to control their thinking, emotions and behaviors. 

No Worries

No Worries

16x40"

Mixed Media on Board

Painting #198 - In Age of Opportunity, Steinberg states that the best health education programs are successful at changing adolescent’s knowledge about risky behaviors but not in altering their behaviors. He claims that in the USA billions of dollars are spent every year on programs that teach young people about the dangers of smoking, drugs, drinking, and having unprotected sex but all have little effect on how young people actually behave. Most current health programs change what adolescents know but not how they act. Adolescents need more than information to deter their risky behaviors because they are at a point in their development where they are easily aroused and have difficulty controlling their impulses. Programs focused on helping adolescents build their capacity for self-regulation are much more effective in reducing their risky behaviors.

My painting depicts a young person who has been raised with the practice of Mindfulness. He is curious, energetic and playful. The ominous sky depicts that the dangers of the world are out there but this young person has the life skill of self-regulation. At any moment he can control his thinking, emotions and behavior to avoid perilous situations.