Art and Spirituality: Oh, the journey begins....

So we met for the first time last night. It was our first session of the art seminar. We began with a resist exercise: we painted the covers of small journals we are creating with glue. Using the glue like paint, I invited participants to create a cover page, with design elements and if they so chose, a title. The glue would dry and then act as a resist when later in the class we went back over the paper with chalk pastel, rubbing in the color and seeing how the glued areas kept the paper white.

Funny thing about starting a class with a resist technique is that resistance showed up. I hadn't thought about that when I planned the first project. I thought about the fact that it was an easy technique; that the journals would be good places to record those insightful, "aha" moments people often have in process-oriented classes; that the journals could be a place to jot notes about the media, techniques, and art processes we were doing; that the journals could be a road map of where we've gone, and one that could support them on any future journeys.

I forgot my own theory behind this class: Art is a spiritual practice, and that every element of the art process has meaning and informs the process. So starting with resist would of course bring out individual resistance, and using glue may bring out the stuckness we may feel when we are unsure of ourselves or the process.

So we began our journey as spiritual journeys often begin: with high hopes and expectations; with all of our assumptions based on our past experiences of other journeys we have taken; with everything that we are bringing along for the ride; with the idea that this experience is providing us an opportunity to meet ourselves along the way.

We began with old friends who took the mandala class last year and new friends who were joining us for the first time. I know this class is not for everyone. At the height of class attendance we had ten participants. By the end of class we had six. I am reminded of my first day of law school when the dean told us "first years" to look to our left and look to our right. At the end of the first semester, one of the three of us was likely to have dropped out. That is what my experience of the first class was like. That, and herding cats. Some folks came late; others left early. Every time we were getting settled in, it seemed that someone else was either coming or going.

In spite of this chaotic beginning, we did several things that I believe were of value. After we set the book covers to dry, we took some time to talk about what art, or spirituality, or art and spirituality means for each of us. Each person talked about how they incorporate art into their lives and what connection, if any, it has to their spiritual life. It was a lovely conversation, and I compiled a list of the main points:

A Conversation Around the Table about
the Connection between Art and Spirituality

creating art comes from a place within

it is a way to meditate
meditating is a way to begin the art process
creating art is ceremony and ritual and sacred
artmaking is an opportunity for connection
an opportunity for release
an opportunity for experimentation
artmaking is a way to explore concrete and abstract
it is fun and relaxing
throughout our lives we have engaged in art as a spiritual practice
when we:
cook,
sew,make jewelry;connect with nature,
garden
artmaking as a spiritual practice is intuitive

As you can see, there was a font of knowledge and wisdom expressed around the table. That is so much of what I value in teaching this class. As I listened to the varied ways in which these women have lived an artistic practice, I was reminded of a photograph my friend Robin sent me of the challahs she baked for Rosh Hashanah. You can't get more ceremonial and engaged in process than baking bread for the ritual of beginning the new year. It has all the promise of sweet sustenance, abundance, nourishment. Her challahs are a thing of beauty.


This is a class that at its core is about engaging in and following a process, a journey to get to know ourselves and each other better. As our first real art exercise we did self-portraits. I went to the library yesterday and got out the only book I could find on self-portraits. Lo and behold, it was a book that focused exclusively on women's self-portraits. How appropo is that? The book (in case you're interested) is Seeing Ourselves: Women's Self-Portraits, by Frances Borzello (1998). It is a very interesting look at how women artists have chosen to portray themselves from the sixteenth century through the twentieth century. I recommend taking a look.

My invitation, after we looked at what other women have done, was to think about how we define ourselves. I led a meditation asking participants to go to their deepest core and ask themselves, "Who am I?" The idea was that if we ask ourselves this question in a consciously repetitive manner, we begin to get below the surface of the roles we play and delve more deeply into our emotional or spiritual selves; we begin to connect with something more deeply personal about the truth of who we are.

After the meditation, participants were offered a variety of drawing materials, including charcoal, chalk pastels, pencils, gel pens, and sharpies, and invited to create a self-portrait. I invited participants to get beyond what they look like on the physical plain and explore themselves using imaginative, symbolic language.

Finally, we had all shown up. The room got very quiet. You could feel a centering and calm energy come over the room as participants began to create very personal pieces. Here are a
couple of examples:






















After the self-portraits, we quickly finished the covers of the journals. Here's a sampling of some of those:



And just as chaotically as class began, it ended. People rushed off to study for exams or take medication or finish work projects that were due the next day. And that is the way of the spiritual journey. Sometimes it is just a fine respite in the midst of the business of our lives, but I always walk away from this group feeling recharged. For that, I am grateful and blessed.

I had a conversation with the few that remained. We decided to start next month's session at 7:15pm. Perhaps that will help folks stay to the end.

And we talked about what processes, techniques, and media to explore. Lots of great suggestions arose. Next month we will explore personal mythology and the idea of positive and negative space as defined by where we put our focus.We will explore these ideas as we create stencils and do printmaking.

A note about the parking situation at Goodwin House: You need to park in the Giant supermarket parking lot on the side of the Giant in the area adjacent to the Great American Buffet. Park near the fence that is near the construction, walk through the open gate in the fence and around the side of the building to what may feel like the back of the building (but is actually the new entrance). Once inside the building, stop at the reception desk and write your car information on the log; this saves your car from possibly being towed. Then wind your way through the hallways around to the art center. At first it all seems kind of endless, but after a time or two it is a familiar path, kind of like the spiritual journey--full of twists and turns and unexpected obstacles, but in the end you arrive at a place of connection, the art center.

I do hope you will join us. It is a most worthwhile journey. But it is not for the faint of heart. I was reminded last night that art and spirituality can be very messy businesses, individually and together. And yet, if we have courage, the rewards are priceless.