On July 11th, ten participants gathered at the Pope Mountain Arts Centre in Fort St James. An unpleasant summer cold was going around the community and four who planned to come couldn’t make it.
Nine participants were woman and one was a man. We ranged in age from 30s to 70s. Two participants were from Prince George, the rest were from Fort St James.
We began with an opening circle themed on the saying, “No mud, no lotus.” We talked about what “mud” we were setting aside to retreat for the day, and the “lotuses” happening in our lives. We all took an affirmation card and read them aloud.
Following our circle, we shared a lunch of pumpkin soup with coconut milk, wholegrain onion-garlic-parsley bread, watermelon, tea/coffee. Special diets were accommodated.
We experimented with squeegee art and various techniques, landing on the ones that worked best for the paintings we had in mind. We practiced on paper, then painted an 8 x 10″ and 12 x 16″ paintings. In the middle we paused for more tea/coffee and some lemon cake.
In our closing circle, we shared our artwork and our impressions of the day. We each shared another affirmation card. What impressed me most about the day was the kindness, encouragement and supportiveness for one another. And the amazing talent in the group!
