Holden Village, Washington
Article For Holden Village Voice, Written While The Executive Directors
Our artistic lives converged in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Our first trip introduced us to walls. The walls divided neighborhoods, communities and ways of being, politics, and religion. We spent our time listening to the stories of violence that had divided the people of this beautiful island. We learned from gifted peacemakers and community builders who continue to envision a sustainable world knit together by love and understanding.
We experienced that what walls do most is separate us from the possibility of participating in relationship. We began working together through our art and creativity workshops to help us see one another differently. Our hope is always to form relationships with one another that can lead to growth and inspiration and together, lead us into new understanding of one another. Holding creative tension in this meeting place offers us an alternative from extremes. We find our creative process could prevent us from rushing to judgment and demanding a complete resolution to things before we have learned what they have to teach us.
Light comes from elsewhere as we remain in this creative tension, drawing out the unique bit of heaven’s mystery in each other to form a new beginning. Through the use of archetypal shapes and symbols we seek to create a visible sign of invisible grace and, in that creative process, form community. Not without its difficulties, but a place where our differences can be held and celebrated.
The language of color and shape helps us think about larger issues together. In working as one, we each bring ourselves fully to the canvas.
Our personal work is a result of this collaboration. We go beyond the conceptual sense, to include working together on the same canvas. We paint at the same time, forging ideas together that neither of us could create alone. During our time in the studio, we experience this as both visual and verbal communication. When we begin our conversation in paint, it is important to let each of our voices be heard, allowing expression of our unique perspectives.
Chaos seems necessary to get to the deeper order that unifies our work. Because we know that ideas usually don’t move in a straight line, we make intentional space for a more organic and flowing nature to take hold. Sometimes it takes courage, faith and time to allow us to be transformed by the process.
We have found that our usual rushed and me-focused behavior finally gives way to the quiet gift of being together. We bring this process into our workshops where we create paintings in large groups, much the same way we create our own work.
In life, and in conversation, things get messy. The visual language of color and shape helps us think about larger issues together. In working as one, we each bring ourselves fully to the canvas. We move from ego and forced will to a space that holds creative tension and gives rise to a reconciling third voice. It becomes both personal and universal. We are always surprised by what we have painted and discovered together and what we find in common. It is what we call painting as prayer.
See more conversation in EARTH and ART.
