“There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”
-Anais Nin
Let go. Be bold. Unfold.
In this playful heart-centered workshop, we will explore a whole new way of painting from a space of freedom, non-judgment and experimentation. This process is about loosening up, letting go of expectations, having fun and allowing the paintings to unfold naturally. There are no mistakes here!
In this two-day workshop, we will start each day with simple yoga-inspired movement and breathing techniques, gently nudging us out of our heads and into our hearts. From this open place, we will work quickly to cover our two large canvases with the first layer of paint…no time for thinking here. As we continue to build up layers, I will demonstrate many of my personal techniques such as dripping, stamping, expressive mark making, etching, patterning, drawing with paint and carving out imagery. As you work, I will give prompts to guide you through this fun explorative process and I will share tips about color combining, layering with translucent paints and incorporating value contrast. I will also offer ways for becoming “unstuck,” moving through challenging moments and getting back in your flow.
Set to the beats of a great playlist, we will spiral between painting with wild abandon, boldly trusting in the unknown, and making more conscious choices about composition, personal imagery and color palette. We will take many breaks to breathe deeply, stretch our bodies and re-connect with what is true for us in the moment. We will also spend some time writing, sharing, and sketching. Most importantly, we will focus on what IS working and let this inspire the rest of the painting. This is a process-based workshop that will empower you with a toolbox of new techniques as well as a new perspective to approach your work. This is a very playful and forgiving process and no prior painting or yoga experience is necessary. All you need is an open mind. Trust…you are an artist already.
Skill Level
No experience necessary
Material List
(for the two-day workshop)
- paint: choose brands based on your budget, but please bring at least two of golden brand’s fluid acrylics; the rest can be any brand and any fluidity
- 4 ounce minimum of each of the following:
2 different reds
2 different yellows
2 different blues
1 green
1 purple
1 orange
1 pink
1 dark brown
1 ocher
1 metallic (copper or gold)
1 black
3 other colors you really love
- titanium white: 8 once minimum
- glazing medium: 8 ounce minimum
- a variety of small brushes for detailed work, cheap ones are fine, just make sure you have at least one very pointed brush
- 10 foam brushes (wooden handled with the grey foam square from the paint section at a hardware store): 5 one-inch brushes and 5 two-inch brushes (the stiffer, the better)
- variety of mark-making tools such as old pencils, non-working pens, caps from bottles, etc…no need to buy new things, just look around your house and be creative!
- large spray bottle for water…make sure it works before you come
- a few rags
- a journal or sketchbook and a pen or pencil
- a palette, the bigger the better (a large cookie sheet covered in waxed paper will work great)
- an apron and/or painting clothes…this is a messy process
- gloves if you do not want to get paint on your hands…your choice
- an open mind : )
Material Fee
$20 (for two 30” x 30” canvases, which will be provided for you)
Flora Bowley
Flora Bowley is an internationally celebrated painter, teacher, and inspirationalist. Her vibrant paintings are rich with color, soul and imagination, and her love for life is clearly apparent in her playful creations. Flora thrives in the magic of the moment, intuitively allowing her organically inspired paintings to unfold naturally and often changing courses along the way. Flora believes there are no mistakes in the creative process and strives to do something new in every piece. Her unique process of layering free-flowing color with natural forms and expressive mark-making combine to create lush paintings born from the present moment; chaotic, subtle, mystical and ever-changing.
Flora lives and works full-time as a painter in Portland, OR, where she is inspired by magical forests, abundant gardens and a thriving community of fellow artists. Throughout the year, Flora enjoys traveling, painting, and teaching her “Bloom True” workshops in colorful locations around the world. Her work can be found in numerous galleries and also on a variety of unique products made in collaboration with Papaya Art. Flora is currently working on book titled, “Brave Intuitive Painting” to be released by Quarry Publishing in the Spring of 2012.
Contact
www.florabowley.com
www.florabowley.typepad.com
info@florabowley.com
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