taste and see

watercolor workshop taught to a group of superheroes.

adults who were courageous enough to come and give it a chance despite feeling intimidated by the idea of trying watercolor. our approach was an "experiential botanical" introduction to watercolor. following the buddhist idea of "adopting a beginner's mind", they were open to exploring art as a way of opening to the joy of being in the present moment and seeing how experimenting, being curious, and really paying attention when we make art translates into feeding our natural sense of delight and changes the way we see the world around us.

that's how you get superpowers. x-ray-like vision so you can perceive the beauty of what is invisible to most people, what we ignore every day. supersonic sensitivity to hear the sense of joy that happens inside of you when you tune-into the ordinary thing that is actually extraordinary right there in front of you. that's the power of workshop # 16 (click to go there).

we first explored and experimented with the basic properties of watercolor and learned how to make an even-color wash which is a controlled technique that requires a bit of concentration, and then we played with a totally different technique called wet-into-wet that makes amazing surprises happen and lets you really let go and watch the painting sort of paint itself.

then, each person was given a fresh pear and we spent 5 minutes in silence, taking the time to smell, touch, handle, listen to, and feel it as if "getting to know" it as you would in attentive listening to a new person you meet and are fascinated by. then, still in silence, each person painted their experience of their pear.

the results of the silence spent truly being present with and "listening to" the pears were remarkable, as the brown bruises, peculiar rosey-pink blushes, and crooked stems re-appeared on paper with vibrant colors alive so that you could almost smell the painted pears. after that, many of the painters noticed how they felt more alive, joyful, and how even the light in the room and the colors around us seemed to jump into their attention and hold more power.

i explained that they had become superheroes with supernatural powers. the powers to see, taste, and hear what many people walk right on by.

at the end of the three hours that felt like 30 minutes for all of us, going back out into the world, they would carry these abilities with them, and they and the world would never be the same. they had now been able to experience that synesthesia that slowing down and using art as a way of being can magically create: tasting what you see, touching what you see, feeling what you see. and with that sense of begginer's mind, or child's mind, awake, one walks through the world with amplified senses so that life becomes a bit intoxicating, and the small detail seems large and dynamic, and suddenly, one is tasting and being nourished by the ordinary that becomes, with one's attention, full of delight and extraordinary.

it was also surprising to realize after painting them how essential to their beauty the strange assymetry, bumps and discolorations and imperfections of each pear were. after spending time with these quirks and particulars, i noticed that they become the most essential parts of the pear's "portrait", the strongest, most beautiful parts.

more than one participant felt like that was a strong metaphor & message about what makes us humans beautiful and worthwhile, which is exactly the opposite of what we first assume when looking at ourselves in the mirror, thinking about our own abilites or inabilities, our own successes or struggles, or picking up a damaged and overly-ripe pear to paint. after having realized and lived this truth through the art making process, i realized i was honestly grateful that some of the pears didn't travel better, because i felt i learned a powerful lesson just when i thought that they had gotten "ruined" for the class. perfect imperfections.

we finished the workshop by eating our models with some fresh italian pecorino cheese, tasting literally what we saw.