The month of July can be summed up in two main ingredients, Fear and Inspiration.
I attended a mixed media art workshop called Contemplative Practices in Art with Lisa Pressman & Sue Stover. This workshop was hosted at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY. It is a beautiful place! And the workshop, the setting, the people were all so inspiring. And I had so much fear during the 7+ hour drive to get to and from my destination.
Flower offering at the Sanctuary, Omega
We made offerings to the garden. And below you can see one of my offerings to this tree. This ritual felt very alive and nourishing to me - it was separate from all the usual systems that humans and artists participate in, systems of Capitalism, Consumerism, and yes, even a Gallery system. This artwork was an exchange between me and this tree and it doesn’t matter if anyone else notices it.
Offering to the tree
Here are some things I made during the workshop having to do with layering, adding/subtracting, burning, scraping, coloring, rolling, dripping, wrapping, sewing.
Artwork I made during the workshop
I took a lot of pictures on our last morning as we did a walk through of everyone’s work. Here are Sue and Lisa looking at Kim’s collage work.
Lisa & Sue look at Kim’s work on the last morning
I recently read something about Fear that I have returned to several times.
Fear is not the problem your Everyday Mind thinks it is. The problem arises in what you tell yourself about fear: that it is not a good thing to experience, and that you must eradicate or control it. Meanwhile, your focus then becomes fear rather than Unconditional support. It is wise to listen to all your feelings, including fear. And, there is a vast difference between listening to fear and thinking you need to act in response to it. Remember that infinite and unconditional love always exists.
- Sheila Reynolds