These are dry times. Summer slips away faster than you can catch it – a dime down the drain. The sky hangs damp and icy today. Across the globe, powerful little men toy with the world’s future like it’s a game of chicken. Hurricanes have ravaged large parts of our earth. Families will suffer the effects for years to come. Terrorists won’t let London sleep.
This planet can get so ugly. So broken. So disordered. So many of our mirrors are shattered.
There is order in beauty. A divine order, I believe, but whatever your theology you can feel it. The affirmation of disparate parts falling into place.
Jennifer Berkenbosch’s Cultivar matters because the world needs beauty today. We need to be reminded that there is goodness. There is a solid bed beneath this wild river.
If you are a visual artist, you may be wondering about Macro Painting & Painting. What the heck is it? Is it for you? What can you expect to make over a long weekend at Small, Slow & Beautiful?
Macro images take a close-up look at our world. They train our eyes to pay attention. They show us 'the world in a grain of sand', as William Blake put it.
Here are some examples of wonderful macro images I've found online and from the work of friends, to get your creative imagination in gear.
You have something to say–why not say it here? Email your blog post idea to dave@bleedingheartart.space and let's chat.
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 van Heyst 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.
You have something to say–why not say it here? Email your blog post idea to dave@bleedingheartart.space and let's chat.
Creative community is pretty much my favourite thing. Watching the sparks as artists bounce ideas off of one another across disciplines is invigorating. Seeing artists care for each other, offering a listening ear, wisdom and encouragement, reminds me that there is plenty of hope left in our world.
Join a small group of creatives in the shadow of the Canadian Rockies this summer for a creative sanctuary nestled along Calgary's elbow river. We'll keep it small, take it slow and make it beautiful.
You have something to say–why not say it here? Email your blog post idea to dave@bleedingheartart.space and let's chat.
