If you are not willing to do it in art, you’re never going to do it in life.”
-Michelle Baker, MA, Art Therapy, Creatrix of Art as a Soul Language and Founder of Paint from your Soul
Express emotions on canvas- feels great to let it out!
Learn to trust your own intuition and let the image guide you
Connect with other creative spirits and see how art can reveal surprising things about your innermost self
Make a painting that is deeply meaningful to you
NO PAINTING EXPERIENCE IS NECESSARY. PAINT FROM YOUR SOUL is a unique approach to art making. Together we will go on an art journey where you will learn how to trust your intuition and learn how to follow what wants to happen. The goal is not to make something pretty to hang on the living room wall- it’s self-discovery. We will bypass the part of your mind concerned with control and perfectionism and make something personal.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
We will learn how to place emotion directly on the canvas, using color to set the mood. Then we will explore archetypes. We will learn a simple technique for drawing an abstract face, then we will fuse all these elements together into a painting. At the end of each class, there will be time to reflect and share. No judgment. All supplies will be provided- paint, canvases, easels, etc. You just have to bring yourself.
WHAT IS AN ARCHETYPE?
We see archetypes all the time in the movies- the hero, the villain, the mother. They are patterns of behavior and motivation that we can all identify. The good guy has a white hat, his main concern is the greater good. The bad guy has a black hat and a shifty look- he is motivated by his own self-interest. The mother is surrounded by children, selfless in her devotion to family. But…is it that simple? Looking deeply at an archetype and then painting it can surprise you.
IS THIS FOR ME??
If you find yourself adrift, not sure who you are now, or what comes next…welcome. Life’s many duties can steal your energy, leaving you with nothing for yourself. If someone has suggested ‘self care’ to you- this is a great place to start. This is a practice you can bring with you into your life. Connecting with archetypal energy can give you a handle on who you are now and what makes you tick. Take a chance on yourself. Come connect with other curious souls and try something new. This empowering process can unleash your creative spirit!
MEDUSA: who is she? The ancient Greeks say she was born a monster, the Romans tell another story- of a young woman who was assaulted and then punished for it. Quite a different story. She is an icon of the #metoo movement. She experienced betrayal, loss, loneliness, fear, rejection. Yet she is a symbol of protection- her image is used to ward off evil. Much has been written about her over the years, theres a lot of ways to relate to her story. Come and explore Medusa in this 4 week series.
WARRIORESS, SAGE, MYSTIC: classic archetypes- the Warrioress is bold, enterprising, focused. She has a strong voice, she protects her own. The Sage seeks knowledge, using it to help others and to gain an understanding of the world. The Mystic is intuition, inner peace, spiritual connection. You might choose to work with these archetypes because you want to bring more of this energy into your life. Consider how these energies work together as a team- The warrioress’s intensity is balanced by the deep calm of the mystic, the sage helps to keep the mystic’s feet on the ground, the warrioress gives legs to the prayers of the mystic, and bold action to the ideas of the sage. You don’t have to know who you want to work with- just start painting the face and see who shows up! You might be surprised! This is a 4 week series.
LOVER, MOTHER, CRONE: The Lover revels in the experience of her senses- the smell of rain, the sight of an egret, the sound of an owl at night, the taste of a ripe peach…she is delight, wonder and awe. She is pulled into the shadow by rejection…perhaps her own. The Divine Mother is unconditional love, a love so big it can sit with anything, hold anything without judgment or rancor. She is infinite ok-ness. Mother in the shadow is restrictive, controling, fills up her life with the needs of others and does not care for herself. The Crone is the Wise Woman. She has a lifetime of experience that she has gobbled up, digested, and turned into wisdom. In the light, she is magic, intuition, wisdom. In the shadow, she is bitter, isolated, erratic and feared. This is a 4 week series.
TASTER: interested? Not sure if you want to commit to a longer experience? Come check it out! We offer this session for a taste of what painting from your soul is about. This is a 2 hour workshop in which we will consider our inner critic- the voice inside that stops you from doing new things- and we will learn some basic techniques for putting feelings directly onto the canvas. This is a single 2hour session.