Spring is here (just!) primroses and celandines and narcissi and hyacinth’s are poking their heads up into the garden
Join a botanical art workshop on Saturday morning 6th March to experience how botanical art can be medicine, how drawing connects to the medicine of the plant and how the whole artistic process with plants can bring you well-being. Faciltated by Eleanor Darley artist and transpersonal art counsellor.
Through my therapeutic art practise and my own study I have found that through art you can have a direct experience of the medicine of the plant you choose to draw. The forms inform you, and inform your art.
You can learn from the plants themselves by drawing them. Also, the artistic process and observational practises applied when making botanical art connects you with the life force available to us in nature, and this can be very restorative.
This has an effect on the work you produce, and we will use artistic techniques that will help you to retain a sense of aliveness in your art work. So many pictures end up flat but this teaching will help you capture the spirit and gesture of the plant.
"One does not work by mere imitation, copying a model, but one recreates by immersing oneself in that force by which Nature herself created and shaped man. One forms as Nature herself forms" Rudolf Steiner
In this workshop we will lead with examples and demonstration but with plenty of guided personal drawing time because it is completely experiential. What we will cover:
Introduction with a little art history touching on artists who have learnt through botanical observation
Observation drawing techniques and the imaginative practise
Working in detail and working with gesture
Inspirations, learnings, feedback and questions
How to develop your practise
Materials:
Bring a bunch of flowers, herbs or pick a couple of blooms from the garden. Anything that attracts your attention. Try to see which plant or flower is already speaking to you, or bring one that you’ve always liked.
Art materials: drawing pencils, fineliner pens, charcoal, ink, watercolours, round paintbrushes of varying sizes (preferential), A3 cartridge or water-colour paper (I always advice good quality because you always then have the option of framing it)
Online workshop: £40 zoom details sent on booking.
The session will be recorded so you can revisit the information.
Book here: https://www.eleanorsara.com/xochicalli-shop/botanical-art-as-medicine-online-workshop-6th-march-10am-1230pm
Any questions: artsbotanical@gmail.com
