Watercolor in the Sacred Milieu

This program begins Sunday, July 6, and ends Saturday, July 12. The fees listed at right include lodging and all meals (except “Commuter”, which includes a Commuter Meal Plan).  An additional sliding scale Course Fee is required.  For more information on our pricing, see our Pricing page.

Come play in the sacred realm of divine color! Let’s pay close attention to our paints, paper and brushes, to our hand movements as we paint. We’ll attempt deep observation of both our exterior surroundings, and our interior emotional and prayer lives, to invite the sacred into our painting time.
Each morning we will start in the studio with a painting demonstration, followed by time to paint. We will explore the individual character of our paint colors, learning a bit about where each pigment comes from to appreciate their source as part of sacred creation. We will use simple drawing techniques to help us see more deeply the sacred essence of what we observe. And we will use simple watercolor techniques to pull it all together on paper.
Whether you are a beginning watercolor student or more advanced, my goal is to help you advance in your watercolor skills, as well as develop a tool for sensing the sacred presence in all life.

The objective of this class is to meet each student where they are at with their watercolor skills so they leave more confident in the medium than when they came, no matter what their level, by offering demos, group discussion and group feedback.
Also to explore with students how painting can be a tool for personal spiritual exploration through readings, discussion and example. I’ll use blind contour and gesture drawing techniques as a tool for seeing nature deeply, and I will encourage a close observation of how watercolor pigments move and mix to listen to the paint itself and what it is suggesting. We may go for silent walks outdoors to encourage a meditative and receptive attitude towards artmaking, and perhaps recording these experiences with pencil and paint.