"To see the world in a grain of sand, and a Heaven in a Wild Flower. Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand. And Eternity in an hour." - William Blake
Attention is a rare gift. We can offer our attention to one other–the blessing of being seen and heard . We can fix our gaze on the world around us, and re-enchant creation.
Melting Snow, by Daniel vanHeyst
“To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.”
Paying attention is the core of all creative work. There is perhaps no better way to practice this skill than to observe and record the finest of details in the smallest of settings. If we can “see the world in a grain of sand”, what might we see in an ocean or a busy intersection?
Attention takes time and focus–both commodities in short supply in our harried, busybody lives. What if you set aside a few days to simply pay attention? To learn to observe, and then to practice that learning, in a supportive community of artists?
From June 28 to July 2, Edmonton Artist Daniel vanHeyst will lead a small group of painters, sketchers and other visual artists on adventure in attention during Small, Slow & Beautiful this summer. You can join this group, with early bird pricing in effect until the end of February.
Berlin angel, photograph by Dave Von Bieker
This Macro Painting & Drawing workshop involves taking a close look at very small objects. Small landscape details and tiny still life arrangements can reveal much beyond the first glance.
“Paying attention to the world around you will help you develop the extraordinary capacity to look at mundane things and see the miraculous.”
By making a series of drawings or paintings of the same carefully studied subject, we learn to see with care and attention. While Daniel Van Heyst will focus on painting and drawing, artists can choose to venture into another medium, such as digital macro-photography. Once an artist has spent time in her "go to" medium, Daniel will offer mixed-media supplies to enable further studies with less familiar tools.
*Small, Slow & Beautiful* will be the first Bleeding Heart Art Space retreat. This long weekend will hone your artistic skills, feed your spirit and scratch your itch for creative community.