How Will We Greet This World?

Nov 25, 2016 | Articles

Talk From Process Painting & Zen Meditation Workshop | The Painting Experience Blog

Earlier this month, the facilitators and affiliates of The Painting Experience came together for a week at Still Meadow Retreat Center outside of Portland, Oregon for our annual gathering. This is a time for us  to  explore the experiences we’ve had during the year leading process painting workshops and classes, as well as to deepen our practice as painters and facilitators. This year we invited members of the new online course, Introduction to Facilitating Process Arts, to join us for a portion of that time. Welcoming new members into our community was satisfying for everyone, and the sense of connection we formed will continue to deepen as our circle of process painters and facilitators widens.

The final weekend of the retreat was a combination of process painting and Zen meditation practice, co-led by my friend Rinzan Pechovnik of No-Rank Zendo in Portland. Our time together was especially poignant because of the political upheaval that was then just a few days old. Many people were struggling with the internal adjustment required to meet this new reality, and our group discussions and practice sessions delved deeply into this concern. There was a palpable sense of shock, disappointment and discouragement over the divisive level of discourse taking place, and a desire to integrate these new circumstances and to move forward in a balanced way with integrity and clarity.

In the dharma talk on Saturday evening, Rinzan addressed these issues with an eloquent integration of Zen practice, process painting and real-life common sense. He offered a healing and coherent way to be present with this unfolding reality with all its unknown ramifications — a way that is consistent with creative expression, meditation practice and workable, day-to-day life. In the end, Rinzan makes a case for embracing this reality with tenderness and strength, along with a good dose of unpredictable audacity.  We are happy to share his talk with you today. (If you’re receiving this post by email, please click through to the website to listen to the talk.)

 

 

Painting Our Way Through It

Painting Our Way Through It

This guest post by Suzanne Campise, MDiv, is an excerpt from a sermon she preached at the Nauraushaun Presbyterian Church in Pearl River, NY, shortly after the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officers. In this excerpt, lightly edited for our blog, she offers a reflection on racism through the lens of the painting [...]

Process Painting Can’t Be Categorized

Process Painting Can’t Be Categorized

Stewart hosted his first fully online painting weekend earlier this month. How exciting to have people join from all over the world! Participants "arrived" from Argentina, Brazil, India, Switzerland, British Columbia, and across the United States. Even some wild time zone differences didn't stand in the way: Charlene, who signed in from India, painted though [...]

Creating a Painting Space in a Small Rental Apartment

Creating a Painting Space in a Small Rental Apartment

In today's post, Judy gives us a tour of the painting space she carved out in her small Philadelphia apartment. It's another great example of finding simple solutions to stay creatively connected while staying at home. I live in a rental. It’s a small space and I have to be careful not to get paint [...]