8.03.2010

OSP Workshop

I had the opportunity to attend the Open Studio Process Training Program: Workshop 1 this past weekend, facilitated in part by Pat Allen. You can read about Pat's process of Intention Writing, Artmaking and Witness writing here. It was an amazingly intense workshop.

The workspace was beautiful and inspiring!



As was the artwork created in the space...



I will not share all of my witness writing, but will include part of it below each image.


This felt familiar. I have done this before. I was scared then, and cried. I was not ready for the image... then. Now is different. I let the image come. I did not control it yet it did not control me.
The image quoted in the above text can be found here.

The green eye. I was not expecting her to appear. But I am listening. But she has no mouth, how can she speak? I am listening but still I hear nothing. My thoughts won't stop long enough to hear her. It is quiet. She is quiet. I wish I could turn her volume up.



Negative space. I started with an experiment, poking holes, forming circles. And then a butterfly wing appeared. It was much harder to duplicate-the wings are delicate and easy to break. They are not symmetrical like they are in nature. Instead it is flawed and uneven, rough and bumpy. There is beauty in the flaws, there is beauty in the imperfection.

We were then given the chance to look at all the pieces together and rework one of the images...


I chose to work on the drawing.

Well there you are. Huge lips raising from the fires. Still no image in the ball, but you have a mouth now. A big one to speak to me. I feel you were there all along. I feel you are speaking now.

I am so excited about this process and can't wait to share it with others.

2 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing this Kelley. I'm reading Pat's book "Art as a Spiritual Process" during breaks at work and it's helping me with my internal process and, in turn, my clients'. Your images are compelling and inspiring--it seems like the witness process was a powerful one for you and I applaud your courage in allowing these images to emerge!

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  2. Hannah,

    Yes it was a powerful process for me, and I have found it to be powerful with my clients as well. What I love is that it is a process that they can do on their own too, and then bring back to me if need be. I also think that it could work well with art journaling...

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