I had an inheritance from my father,
It was the moon and the sun.
And though I roam all over the world,
The spending of it’s never done.
― Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls

Through mindfulness we become more aware of influences in our lives including those that we have taken in from others. As we become more conscious of these gifts and challenges, we can more effectively choose whether and how to express them. To begin the series, we will engage in mindfulness practices exploring our personal legacies and how these inheritances have contributed to our lives. We will then practice slow art applying awareness-based skills to viewing the works of two generations of glassblowers.

Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.
– Carl Jung

Communication skills are, in part, a legacy from our families and transform or strengthen through non-judgmental awareness and self-compassion. Honest communication with others is based upon acceptance, curiosity, and openness. As we strengthen our ability to bring deep listening to our own experiences, we enhance our capacity to be present with and available to others, to nature, and to artistic works. After learning brief, self-listening skills, we will become aware of our sensations, thoughts, and feelings as we view artists’ images.

Mindfulness is the open-hearted energy of being aware in the present moment. It is the daily cultivation—practice—of touching life deeply.
― Laurie Buchanan, PhD

Artists make themselves vulnerable through sharing with us works that express their visions of the world. In this way, their images touch and transform us. Sharing their visions is an act of courage and strength. A similar vulnerability allows us to live fully and from our hearts. Our daily presence and vitality in living our lives may be our greatest legacy to those we love. We will engage with gallery images using mindfulness practices that support our connection with presence and our heart’s wisdom. We will conclude by discussing how to apply these same principles to our daily lives.

Build complexity and richness to your work with cold wax and oils. In this workshop we will explore how to use wax and other mediums to build up translucence and texture in your oil paintings.

The strongest love is the love that can demonstrate its fragility.
― Paulo Coelho, Eleven Minutes

Loving Kindness Practices increase positive emotions, strengthen health, and enhance the quality of our lives. Moreover, these practices help us to navigate relationships with greater tolerance and appreciation for those we love. These same practices can help us to forge a connection with the artists who help us to envision our worlds in new ways and with the images they create. In this session, we will practice open-heartedness and apply this open-heartedness to our experiences of the artwork. Take homes will include brief skills for bringing an open heart to our daily interactions with others.

Learn how to use cut flowers and foraged greens to create a large, lush arrangement in a keepsake footed urn.  All supplies included.