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Creative By Nature Relax into Art. "Adopt the pace of nature, her secret is patience." - Ralph Waldo Emerson September 28th and 29th 9:30am - 4:30pm Rotary Centre for the Arts Drawing and Painting Studio Do you ever hunger for a deeper connection to self and Nature? Do you ever wonder what it would be like to create with joyful freedom? Creativity and Nature go hand in hand in this experiential workshop. By taking Nature Journaling one step farther we give colour and form to a felt connection to Nature. This gives our hands the opportunity to teach us what they know. We move beyond what we see, and create from what we feel, watching beauty blossom on the page. The trick is to lovingly bring the planning mind back to the feeling hands, again and again. Join in this creative adventure as we write, draw and paint with self, others and Nature. Come away with a simple yet transformative creative practice that is easily shared with children, family and friends. Join Lisa Lipsett for this FREE experiential creativity workshop. To register, click HERE. The program is sponsored by The Government of Canada's New Horizons for Seniors Programs. Artist, writer and teacher Lisa Lipsett holds a doctorate in Transformative Learning from the University of Toronto, and is founder of the Creative by Nature Center - an art showcase and workshop space on Salt Spring Island, BC dedicated to strengthening the human-Nature relationship. "The universe lives through us. We are the painter and the painting." - Thomas Berry Seeing Tulips ... Natural Painting came to me one cool rainy afternoon in the spring of 1997, when out of sheer frustration with my earlier painting efforts I followed the impulse to paint the way tulips feel instead of the way they look. I wanted to connect with the life I could sense in those flowers. I simply set that intention, sat quietly, closed my eyes and using my hands, painted whatever came. The result was not what I expected yet I loved it instantly. The vibrant colours, unique shapes and resonant enchantment of the experience convinced me that something normally unseen was revealed. Having been well schooled in the capture and dissection style of knowing Nature, I had never before thought to paint a resonant connection with another living being. Being blissfully nourished that day by both the process and the actual painting, I was inspired to explore further. I wondered what would happen if I simply began journaling how I feel and then painting with no plan. Feeling Tulips Over time, ways to soften the thinking planning mind bubbled up, while painting taught me to trust the hands instead. There was a melting down of the tension between what I was taught to think and do, and what felt natural in the moment. Paint gave colour and form to this communion. Natural patterns, a metamorphic cycle and my muse, a giant Cecropian silk moth appeared on the page and in my yard convincing me that we are Nature and that creating naturally nourishes intimacy with the living world. By combining in-the-moment presence with Nature impersonating "techniques" we can begin to explore our natural creativity, animate the uniqueness of our inner landscape, and deepen a connection to Nature. When we impersonate Nature's processes, we feel more natural ourselves and begin to understand how Nature works. The laws of self similarity tell us that we can open up to universal patterns that animate all Nature. So we do not use our will to create images rather we use our will to open to and enter a relationship with Nature through paint. We open to the essence of Nature. Click here to hear Lisa explain her work in a series of videos. Home : About : Classes in Kelowna : Blog : Contact