Creaturely Creativity: Painting with the Earth

23 Long Dock Road,Beacon NY 12508

11 September, 2022

Description

It can be easy to think of art as something that exists mostly in the realm of ideas. What we can forget is that art - any art - is made of stuff. This applies as much to the paper and ink of the printed page as it does to the wood and nylon of a guitar. But this is most obvious when we work with and create from the natural materials that are growing around us and create directly from these - natural dyes, natural paints, raw materials. When you can trace the history of your material, you are intimately and physically connected with the entire process of your creation - your artwork - from the beginning. To create colors from, say, a plant, you have to be with that color every step of the way - from plant, to ink, to art. A color yellow is no longer "Yellow 256" but a living, breathing being with quirks and particularities - and a part of you. In fostering this connection with the materials themselves, you can develop a real respect and relationship not just with the stuff that goes into your artwork, but also with the more-than-human Earth that provides them. This workshop is for everyone - artists, creatives, or just any human wanting to explore new perspectives and develop a deeper connection to the natural world that ensconces us. *In this hands-on workshop, we’ll go on a walk together through the beautiful Long Dock Park as we discuss the nature of embodied creativity and the material tools of our creations. Then, we’ll paint together with natural dyes made for this workshop by Sasha! Limited space!! Like all our events, we operate via suggested donations, and we won’t turn anyone away due to inability to pay. That being said, your generosity is enormously appreciated and allows us to keep doing this! Suggested donation is $40, please feel free to give more or less based on your comfort and capability. Also feel free to come first and gift us afterwards if the experience gifted you something 😊 “Art is simply a result of expression during right feeling. Its a result of a grip on the fundamentals of nature, the spirit of life, the constructive force, the secret of growth, a real understanding of the relative importance of things, order, balance. Any material will do. After all, the object is not to make art, but to be in the wonderful state which makes art inevitable” - Robert Henri Meet our Workshop Leaders: Sasha Geerken is an herbalist & artist in the Hudson Valley, teaching and creating for all who are interested in enriching their lives through the magic of plants. Visit www.sashabotanica.com to learn more! Henry Kramer is a Religious Studies professor at Hunter College as well as an enthusiastic musician, animist, and woods wanderer. His work – both academic and creative – has always emphasized eco-spirituality, environmental philosophy, imagination, wonder, and play. Henry holds two master’s degrees in Environmental Philosophy and Ecocritical Literature, as well as a bachelor’s in the Psychological Dimensions of Religion. He has experience leading Philosophy Walks as a fellow with the non-profit Merlin CCC, is a graduate of David Abram's Broken Bard School, and is the founder of Outward Mind.