WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:

When the eye wakes up to see again, it suddenly stops taking anything for granted. —Frederick Franck

This workshop—with one of the world’s few female master calligraphers—is about returning to the present moment by awakening our senses. Through sketching, drawing, and intentional mark-making, we will learn to see, feel, and experience ourselves in relationship with—in communion with—the natural world around us.

Pencils in hand, we'll practice noticing the extraordinary in the ordinary: the sensuous, rhythmic patterns of a shell, a turnip bulb flushed and peachy red, leaves undulating on a table, or the knobby, swirling wrinkles on our hands. Through accessible, contemplative exercises using ordinary tools and materials, we will expand our visual vocabulary while calming our nervous systems and learning to come home to ourselves despite the noisy news cycles and the quaking all around. We are not here with aspirations to "make art," but to draw from within, linking our inner experience with the outer world, creating a path and portal for deeper engagement. With full permission to play and experiment, we will expand our perception, ignite our creativity, and leverage the power of imagination to see—and shine—our light in a darkening world.

**Artistic training or creative inclinations are not needed for this experience. Wherever you are is the entry point.—Kabir