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Direct Perception 2013


P1040289, originally uploaded by leyaevelyn.

Back home after four exhilarating, exhausting and productive days as one of three teachers at the Direct Perception Workshop in Tatamagouche. I’m glad to be home. Still, I have mixed emotions. I felt sad on the long drive home. It was exciting to be around so many people, to be a part of Tribe Temp, as we called it. I liked it. I’m used to being alone, need to be alone, especially to work alone, but I would rather not be alone so much. It’s taken me a day of puttering around, sorting my thoughts, enjoying the warmth of dog and home, connecting with friends here, to feel ready to get back in to my studio tomorrow.

During the program, we divided the days up into three parts: Jerry Granelli, jazz drummer, worked with listening, hearing, and making sound. Alan Sylliboy, Native American painter/media artist, worked with gathering energy, I did exercises to develop sensory awareness through visual games. It felt like we were weaving, using our senses as threads, making a fabric of sound, sight, form.

The participants were all new to the program. None had been there last year. So even though some of what we did was the same, the energy was different. For one thing, the group was larger. The age range was from the twenties to the seventies with all kinds of artistic experience present. There was, as always, some resistance. Personally, I have a hard time with voice, especially singing in a large group. Others freeze when asked to draw. Yet it worked. I did sing. And we all faced fears, learned, deepened our understanding of the creative process.

Tomorrow, it’s back into my studio again.

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