Yesterday late evening I arrived home from a lovely four day mixed media painting workshop at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology (www.sitkacenter.org). The Sitka Center is located in a pristine natural setting nestled just above the coastline in the beautiful temperate rainforest of Otis, Oregon. I have been wanting to take a workshop at the Sitka center for many years now. However this has been difficult due to financial constraints. Much to my pleasure this year they opened up partial scholarships for the first time. I applied and found out I was rewarded one mid last week. The scholarship gave me the little extra helpful financial nudge I needed to be able to attend. Early Sunday morning after some super quick planning that week, off I went 🙂
The workshop I attended was titled: “Engaging the Creative Visionary” and was taught and facilitated by instructor and professional artist Lauren Mantecon (www.laurenmantecon.com). The instructor focused on facilitating intuitive processes for plumbing one’s inner depths using various mixed media painting techniques and spontaneous and ‘process’ painting exercises. Using creative visualizations at the beginning of each day students were guided into a safe inner space while also connecting to whatever spirit or energy might inspire one’s creative juices. Play, utilizing mistakes and exploration were all encouraged and nurtured.
The group of students consisted of nine women of various ages plus the instructor making a dynamic and powerful group of ten ladies. Each woman came to the easel and the group with various personal energies and joys and traumas past and present to work through, relate to and manifest creatively on the canvas, board or paper. I believe that aside from unadulterated love there is almost nothing more healing than the process of creativity which is in itself a form of love and self acceptance. Our instructor had mentioned having a deep interest in art therapy as well as having a Jungian background. In my observation the workshop was indeed therapeutic, joyful, at times frustrating, informative and grounding for all involved. There was a lot of risk taking, vulnerability, connecting to one’s core essence and transformative creativity that seemed to take place.
A lot of materials and techniques were utilized and demonstrated. Some of these included handmade gesso, joint compound, chalk and oil pastels, acrylics, charcoal and more. Although I’m not sure I feel comfortable saying I ‘finished’ any one piece I did work on four pieces over the course of four days, three of which I’ll share below. I certainly hope to attend a Sitka workshop again in the future! The super friendly and accommodating staff, the lovely and experienced instructor, the architecture and physicality of the center itself, the unique course offerings and the fecund and beautiful natural setting are all wonderful, peaceful and inspiring.
