At the core of my practice lies the dynamic interplay of movement, texture, and form. Through sweeping brush strokes, layered colors, fluid drips, and scraped-away paint, I create canvases that mirror the act of holding and releasing "emotional residue". This process parallels my work as a therapist, where space is held for personal transformation and reflection.
My painting sessions are often brief, intense bursts, five, ten, or fifteen minutes, where I process and release the psychic imprints left by my therapeutic encounters. Each layer, built through instinctive gestures and deliberate reflection, captures the tension between spontaneity and intention. The evolving surface of the canvas becomes a personal record of time, marking the accumulation and transformation of this emotional residue.
In therapy, the “container” offers a safe space for emotions to be explored, felt, and processed. My canvases function similarly. Quick, aggressive marks reflect frustration; soft, deliberate strokes suggest calm; and layered patches of color arise from introspection. These gestures transform lingering emotions into tangible, visible forms. While the finished work may signify a chapter in this process, the act of creation itself is the center of my practice. My paintings are a space where movement, decision-making, and the inherent messiness of emotional expression finds a home.
In my therapeutic practice, I witness life stories filled with joy, pain, hope, and despair. These sessions leave a psychic imprint, an accumulation of emotional weight I transmute through gestural abstraction. My work memorializes these experiences, embedding their significance in layered compositions and releasing their essence back into the ether. Much like the human mind encodes memory, my paintings layer clarity and ambiguity, embedding fleeting feelings and fragmented moments into the surface. The weight of previous marks remains visible, shaping and softening the work as it evolves.
Memorialization, in this context, reflects the therapeutic container: a space to process and transform emotional energy without judgment. My canvases hold these emotions, allowing them to rest and evolve into something that conveys beauty, connection, and meaning. This transformation honors the weight of what was shared, affirming, “This mattered. This was real.”
TJ Walsh, BFA, MA, LPC is a psychotherapist and painter with a private practice and studio in Philadelphia. Prior to receiving his M.A. in Clinical Counseling Psychology from Eastern University in Saint Davids, PA, TJ received his BFA from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia.
TJ's work as a painter has garnered acclaim at home in the Philadelphia region as well as across the country and overseas.
Walsh writes, speaks and teaches on the topics of art, culture, faith & mental health. His work has been exhibited and published internationally.
2016
Eastern University, St. Davids, PA
MA, Counseling Psychology
2007
The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
BFA, Graphic Design
2013
Tighe, Samantha, "‘Art Unleashed’ Showcases Work By Two Delco Artists," Delaware County News Network, Tuesday, April 02, 2013
2012
"INLIQUID: An Artist's Acts of Worship, Communication and Charity," Flying Kite Media, October 2012
2011
Evans, Elrena, "A Conversation with Two Artists," Uncover the Word: American Bible Studies, November 2011
2010
Deshano, Troy, “Odorifous: TJ Walsh,” Strong Odors, May 2010
2013
Walsh, TJ, "Finding Beauty through the Practice of Creating: An Artist’s Reflection," Transpositions, University of St. Andrews, Scotland, April 24, 2013
2011
Martin, Gail A., Eliu Cornielle, Malorie Tull, Timoth J. Walsh, Jr, You Will Dance, American Bible Society/She’s My Sister, New York, NY
American Bible Society, New York, NY
Gail A. Martin, Haverford, PA
Sarah and Nathan Friend, Allentown, PA
Sharon L. Sacks, Haverford, PA
Board President, Stand Up. Demand Action (SUDA)
Alumni Council Member, University of the Arts
Member, AIGA
Member, InLiquid
Member, CIVA
Designer, American Bible Society, New York, NY
2013
InLiquid Benefit v.13, Ice Box Project Space, Philadelphia, PA
2013
Deep Dive, The Gryphon, Wayne, PA
2011
Listening, American Bible Society, New York, NY
2013
2013 Member Exhibition: InLiquid, PPAC, Second State Press, Ice Box Project Space and Grey Area, Crane Arts Building, Philadelphia, PA
JustART, CIVA Annual Conference Exhibition, Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL
The View from Deliverance, Blick Art Materials, Philadelphia, PA
Art Unleashed, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2012
Featured, Burlap and Bean Coffee, Newtown Square, PA
Evidence of Things Unseen, The Church of the Good Samaritan, Paoli, PA
The Faces of uArts, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
DAS:BAM, 1616 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
Making It, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2012
Advent, The Church of the Good Samaritan, Paoli, PA
