The table is set. On it white pieces of cardboard, tins filled with paint, brushes, water, cloth, glue….
I hear the sound of voices and running feet coming towards me and the face of a teenage boy peaks into the room followed by his friends entering the space, giggling, pushing and looking down to the tip of their toes.
We are still strangers to each other but that will change in a moment. Our journey for this morning will bring us into the garden, our theme is the earth. There is much to explore; we are collecting leaves, sand, little stones, sticks, smell the flowers and the earth, touch the trees and feel their texture.
We are exploring our surroundings, communicating through the activity about each other. Who are you and what makes you tick? I am watching the group slowly losing their shyness and getting confident expressing and exploring.
All this experience is taken to the white piece of cardboard that awaits us in the room to express the inner live.
There is freedom, sometimes chaos inside the given structure…colors flow into each other creating new nuances, giving enjoyment and surprises with their freshness. Sand, leaves and other things that have been found, are glued onto the board and make the most beautiful patterns integrating the sense of touch, smell and sound into the process. The blank piece of board fills like the empty space that has been there in the beginning between us. It fills with laughter , stories, questions and answers and maybe even a song if we are brave enough…. adding a little more red or blue or green will help….to bridge our inner worlds and get to know each others lives and the song that plays with it.
The hour is over and we say good bye looking into each other’s eyes.
When I stand alone with all the beautiful pieces that have been created , I hear feet running back to the room and two faces peeking in, asking.. “can we come again “…and my answer is …YES.
Bridging Polarities Through Art Workshop
