Mindful Art
By Jean Adamson
This was the first day of the new Mindful Art class, in which Louise Dorrian took the lead. The class was well attended with a total of nine participants, with this first class focusing on Mandala Art. Mandala Art seems like a simple process when you hear it is just putting dots onto a wee coaster with one or other tool, but there is so much more to it.
Louise was excellent at explaining the method to all present. She had a brightly coloured table of acrylic paints, a selection of tools ranging from pallets to paint brushes, right down to cocktail sticks and plenty of paper. She had taken the time to cover over the SHED tables with a plastic cover to ensure we could take care of all we have.
Once Louise was finished her delivery, there were a few questions from the group, which moved onto an amazing ’Silence is Golden’ period. Yes! We could hear the silence in the room and I’m sure we all benefitted from that Mindful experience. Some of the group were absolute naturals when it comes to art. Once a layer of dots dried out it was onto the next layer, which looked amazing once dry.
The group plan to meet once a fortnight, and although at present we are an all-female group, I have heard a couple of the guys say that they were thinking about checking it out. We also had a young woman present as part of the group who is considering joining the SHED. Let’s hope she does as she has been looking around for an art group to join. If her initial art skills are anything to judge by, she is in the right place. Let’s hope she will become a new member soon.
The group meeting time is 12 – 3pm but it is ok to turn up for part of that time. Louise is flexible re time, meaning that we could squeeze in more members if need be. The group is certainly off to a great start. While we painted and chatted, we could see and hear a number of people working on their projects on the shop floor, and there were also a few guys having a cuppa in the kitchen. It all goes to show that even in a relatively small space, that it is possible to work together. I’m sure we are all looking forward to the next meeting.