The process deepens, and you may hesitate. Emotions may surface. After a long split from our inner wisdom, we resist pleasure as much as pain, but our "body intelligence" knows what our whole being needs. It knows how to manifest in the most simple, efficient, sometimes humorous, sometimes terrifying, and often eloquent ways. With Aviva's expert midwifery and a warm, supportive atmosphere, you begin painting not from the intellect, but from the ever-present, bottomless, creative well of personal and universal images. You will go into an altered state of consciousness. After awhile, the movement of the colors is hypnotizing, and you get lost in it. Yet you are awake so you're allowing whatever needs to happen, to happen.
Authentic art that touches the soul comes from a divine place deep within us. Surprisingly touching and satisfying images emerge out of these depths. You don't have to be trained in the arts to experience this ecstasy: it's your birthright. It is easy to see this in children, who paint in a magical way. The possibility of reconnecting is always present. It is important to feel the physical, sensuous process of painting - just let yourself play, go through whatever blocks you need to go through, go wild. Something deep in us longs for this freedom. This ritual of creating soul-touching art is a natural way to stay balanced, healthy, and vital; it's a spiritual practice that connects you to the source of your inner wisdom.
We will use the exciting, vibrant colors and smooth paint-like flow of oil pastels on white paper. Our first artistic tool, our hands, will be our tool in this retreat, as we mix, blend, and layer our oil pastels. If you've considered painting, but never thought you could, or if you're trained in the arts but would like to explore the source of creativity, this retreat is for you. There's a $20 materials charge for this workshop.
Aviva Gold has been teaching inspired art for over 25 years and leads Painting From The Source workshops in her home and in many locations around the world. Painting From the Source is also the name of her book. She's a practicing psychotherapist and an active artist who believes the process by which art is made is similar to the evolutionary process of creation in the universe. She believes the capacity to create is part of the Divinity of being human."Rekindle your sense of freedom. Mold material into spiritual reality. Transform one substance into another. Transmute fiber into cloth, clay into vessel, stone into crystal, memory into image, feeling into movement, wind into song, blood into milk, egg into child, body into worship." - Meinrad Craighead