Hello World. I hope the holiday cheer is slowly making it's way to you. I had the immense pleasure of singing holiday carols with my Minds in Motion group catering to folks with dementia just yesterday. It is looking like this year, my tolerance to the cheesiness of the season is pretty high. I know because the songs felt effortlessly heartwarming. It is possibly because I have not been hearing them as much on the radio during various shopping moments of late, meaning my ears are not yet exhausted from the holiday classics. I must admit that this group of seniors is adorable beyond belief, making it OK to let my heart string being plucked to the likes of White Christmas and Jingle Bells. It was indeed a special occasion to connect with everyone.
Last class of the year at the gym. We really gave it our all and I thought it was so cute of everyone to grab a prop. What a clever concept! My voice is my greatest tool so perhaps this explains my empty hands on this group photo!
It was also my last Mindful Artist class last Monday. This format is really the gift that keeps on giving as we explored acrylic painting for the very first time.
This cat by Moana was carefully studied over the previous weeks. She was the only one to choose to work on her drip background which is something I was secretly hoping someone would do. There was also a cat study and discussion around the placement of the eyes.
I hope to see this one finished one day. We were to accentuate our work with indigenous inspired motifs to pay tribute to the Coast Salish First Nations. I like to do land recognition before the meditation, unique to this type of spiritual art class. I feel like reconciliations provide a strong foundation to growth and healing, which is kind of the point of meditation.
I recently faced some push back for doing land acknowledgment in a fitness class, in an effort to make everyone feel safe. It backfired and that's a shame, but I won't let it deter me from believing that it can help to create a safe, trauma-informed space. And yet I respect that some people can be triggered by this new prevalence of social justice rituals.
This is not Mariko's first work on this blog. Over the years she has become a regular here.
I am proud of the small part I played, helping clean the outlines to make it look sharper. Our beloved artist had worked on the sketch and underpainting, as suggested, prior to class.
This robot was mildly perturbing to the artist, so I told her that art is supposed to elicit a reaction, whatever it may be. It then grew on her. It is common for red acrylics to be transparent.
It is interesting to imagine this work a bit further along. More dots for example, will give the composition rhythm, texture and colour fields, all of which will do wonders for your art.
You can see that Mariko opted for a copy. There's nothing wrong with that. It is especially inspiring to see from a returning student who has painted from imagination many times before. This way, I know she can focus her attention on the finer details, free of the constraint on the designing stage. I am thinking mostly of the time constraint, but there are other ways that bring the focus on the details and colour theory. The cool background has been transformed into warm by our powerful alchemist.
The cat took a lot of effort. These are the truly rewarding experiences when challenges were overcome. I believe it is a self-portrait as it is pensive, with a zest for life that refuses to be contained within the borders of the image. There is a mix of boldness and restraint with a decidedly naive approach that would remind one of La mauvaise peinture. This painting would never grace the walls of a famous museum.
Or wouldn't it?
Maria did not have time to complete her work. I am sure she will finish at home. Not that there is a hard line between finished and unfinished work. However, there is a to-do list and I fully support where she is going here.
We discussed elliptical water lilies to convey perspective, so I am glad that both options were considered and she took my suggestion to paint the native motifs in red for a warm cool contrast.
Lastly, I thought this see-through Christmas scene was pretty neat. They were in front of Trout Lake community centre as I arrived to teach a spin class. In this kind of weather, I most certainly biked there.
There is always something going on in the community. My heart is filled with joy and gratitude that I could resume my nomadic career after the COVID-19 pandemic. Actually teaching during the thick of it helped tremendously and ensured a great continuity teaching at a grassroot level for the City of Vancouver.
There is endless validation, smiles around every corner, fitness for 2 and a way for me to hold my head up high, knowing that I do my part to promote prevention as the best medicine the world has ever known. Also, great things come in small festive wrapping.