Art Day at Roslyn Retreat Center

On April 18 I attended a full day art retreat led by Bishop Goff at the Roslyn Retreat Center in Richmond.  We met in the picnic pavilion pictured below - a great open space, perfect for a mild spring day.

Here's a view of the inside of our studio for the day.

Tables were set with all sorts of materials - scraps of wood and wooden objects...

...many different kinds of paper including different designs, textures and images...

...and a table full of recycled containers and other bits and pieces (imagine a huge junk drawer)...

there were also many kinds of glue, hand-held power tools, books for inspiration, wire, metal, paint, a rich selection of open-ended found materials. 

For the morning I enjoyed the invitation to walk around and find something that spoke to me and then just to play with putting materials together.  In the photo below the lower piece of wood was the first one I picked up.  I liked how it sort of suggested a screen and buttons but in a very low tech way.  I made the screen part into a colorful collage and added additional buttons and collage elements.  

The second round piece of wood was a sort of decorative plate.  Here I returned to a familiar theme and created a color wheel using buttons I brought along for the day. 

The introduction to the retreat included an invitation to bring an object to work with - something from an attic or basement or thrift store.  I brought along a wooden wine box, thinking it doubled as a nice carrying container for materials and might be fun to decorate.
For the afternoon, I worked with the box, adding decorations and a door to create an Art Box.  My neighborhood had two Little Free Libraries within walking distance and a nearby neighborhood plans to install additional sites.  I have been thinking for a while about something similar for an art exchange.  That was the inspiration for the Art Box.

I added one of the pieces I began in the morning to the side for decoration.  The door was the most difficult part.  My initial thought was to wait and make it at home but that felt a bit like procrastination.  Finding hinges seemed to be a good sign I could improvise something so I decided to challenge myself to fashion a door out of what was available.

The sheet of plastic had been rolling around the back of my car for about 6 months, the wood scraps were almost the right size and the metal rulers proved just stiff enough to offer horizontal support while light enough to not add bulk.  In the end it was a good exercise in sticking with a problem and working with what was available.

The inside of the box is still empty.  I plan to add the color wheel mounted in the back along with some small shelves and a note encouraging people to participate in an art exchange.   

It needs a bit of work to be ready for mounting and will live under the covered portico at St Aidan's for starters.  As I tell people about the idea, I get different questions - Does it have to be finished art? What about bags of supplies for kids to take home and make something?  What if someone takes everything?  How will you know who got what you put in?  How will people know they can participate?  

Clearly I have some details to think through but I look forward to trying it and will share some of the stories of what I learn in a future post. 

It was lovely to be in a space as a maker with other makers.  Our reflection at the end focused on the nurturing energy of sharing time, space and materials for this creative work.  I was honored to hear the stories others shared about their creations and to get to share my process as well.  

Family Art Event at St Aidan's Episcopal Day School

Great family art event yesterday at St Aidan's Episcopal Day School.
I begin with this photo from our blocks set up in the children's studio space.  The blocks out on the table invited parents and children to build and then to draw designs inspired by their buildings.
I begin with this image also because an important part of our afternoon was another kind of building - building community through creating together.

Our collage station included inviting mixtures of recycled papers, fibers and small objects.  Glue in shallow containers with a small brush offered optimal control for young artists.  A drop of blue paint in the glue gave it a bit of color and surprise.
Putting out materials for art reminded me of setting a table for a meal - for each material there is a place setting with specific tools and utensils as well as shared items.  In the case of collage, individual artists choose their own base paper and then share in communal collections of paper and objects.  The small pots of glue placed around the table can be used individually or shared between a couple of makers.  Setting things up so that supplies are shared (similar to setting the table for "family style" service) is a key part of facilitating community art.

At our stamping station, artists were invited to explore different everyday objects for printing with paint.

This printing was extended with an opportunity to work more communally on a larger piece of paper at a group stamped mural.  

These two stations worked together for community sharing and inspiration.  Some artists were more comfortable trying things out on their own paper before joining a group creation.  Others enjoyed being part of the group creation and getting ideas from what they saw there before creating an individual piece.  

To take advantage of the nice day, we had a bucket of recycled CD's outside for designing on the grass. These young artists made trails and tracks with the shiny CDs.  For great CD art inspiration, see the website of artist Bruce Munro.

Stampers at work ...

Busy hands of collage artists...

And a growing group stamping mural...

One of my favorite aspects of community art is noticing how strategies are developed and shared.  After watching artists make dots and drag lines with the comb, it was fun to watch this artist use the side of the teeth to stamp grass to begin his image.

Community art is also a great chance to see many developmental stages of making side by side.  This older sister explored representation and symmetry with her butterfly created from stamped shapes.

At the same table younger artists explore shape and color with repetition and energy.  Sharing space  in mixed age settings allows for great sharing of ideas in community.

At another table, older siblings began making 3D collage creations using strips of paper. 

This grew as others joined in, finding many inventive ways to twist, tie and curl paper to make architectural creations.

The arches below layer and parts build on other parts.  In the same way, it is fun to watch strategies build on each other.

Finished community art works took two forms: below a collage quilt allows varied individual pieces to come together to create a group piece.

For stamping, the community art was created in layers with artists working with and around other artists to add to a group mural.  It was fun to watch this one grow and change as artists filled in spaces left by others and added new shapes, marks, and patterns.  Can you find the word art from the beginning photo at the top of the page?



Many thanks to all who participated and the many hands that helped with set up and clean up.  It was great to watch people collaborate around tables.  Reflecting on our afternoon, I noted great individuality in invention and creativity.  There was also a sense of calm and intention as artists worked in the different spaces.  I enjoyed the energy of the makers, the sharing of ideas and the wonderful color and invention of our new creations.