often, our sessions are super chatty, with drawing as a side order. we have touched on wide-ranging topics over the last several months: a great deal of verbal government bashing, tales of travels and other life experiences, some light-weight frivolity, and occasionally some conversations go places from where katie and i rapidly steer us away.
this week was different. this week, we connected and worked alongside each other in a state of what catherine price would call ‘true fun’ (ted talk here: https://www.ted.com/talks/catherine_price_3_elements_of_true_fun_and_how_to_have_more_of_it/comments ) there was barely any chat: instead, the satisfied quiet of 6 people being playful, connected and experiencing the immersive state of flow.
as it has been voiced lately that our drawers like to be given direction, we organised print-making this week. in the spirit of developing my own practice, and being no expert, it was an opportunity for me to be playful with a new medium. i also knew that katie has a soft spot for printing. we borrowed some kit, bought some ink and went for it.
of the 4 men attending, 2 had had a go at print-making before, and 2 had not. one decided to finish the charcoal drawing of the church that he started last week. but i watched him … he did finish the drawing, but curiosity got the better of him and soon he, too, found himself immersed in the printing process.
at the start of every workshop i facilitate, be it ‘knit the walls’, a session for art students, or a drop-in public one, the butterflies are active. for me, the primary desire is to provide a space for discovery: about the medium, about the topic, about the self, about the person next to you …. i have satisfied my own brief if you walk away feeling that something has shifted. this week, i felt that we moved into a new realm as a group – one where discovery and the thrill of unveiling a new image connected us anew.
