"An extemporaneous painting practice"
I evolved into a painter by falling into a weekly practice before my Wednesday, Core Connexion class, with Eva Vigran. She would email me that night's theme and I’d ruminate about what it means to me, wrap up my workday, pass off family responsibilities (told my partner the kids could eat cardboard for dinner, I was off-duty), and see what would emerge with pigment on paper. I had to move quickly because the class started promptly at 7 pm and my painting would be hung on the wall as part of the evening's Altar design, that someone else was assembling at the venue at the same time. The closer it got to 7pm, the faster I would go, no time for over thinking, fear, or doubt....only time to trust myself in the moment and keep my attention at the tip of the brush. Select a color I’m drawn to and move it across the page. I had only one rule, cover the whole paper.
I would toss the painting in the minivan and dash in to hang my painting on the Altar (the stage) It was always uncanny how the paintings colors, theme and/or patterns would be in alignment with that night’s theme. We called it Quantum Collaboration, no words required!
During the dance I had a chance to step back from the painting and see it in context of the Altar. Afterwards, fellow dancers shared with me how the painting spoke to them, and I would see things I hadn’t noticed when standing up close in the painting process. What a gift.
The Wednesday dance class lasted 20 years! Now I offer Guided Art Journeys and corporate Art Facilitation sessions to create a container for others to drop into their creativity and experience a different way of being while putting pigment on paper!