A. R. Smith Studios

Tonight I shared the evening with some brave and adventurous women who are engaging in my Bold Layering: from attachment to healthy detachment class. The goal of this class is to use the same canvas month to month and continue adding layers, textures, and images on top of what was there before.

The task given to these ladies last month, was to live with their creations and engage with it regularly (engage meaning to look at and admire it). Then this month we used that canvas and added elements continually, taking turns leading the additions – adding papers, adding paints, adding images, etc. It was so much fun and interesting to see how each woman took charge when it was their turn to give a prompt.

The beginning of the session included two freewrites – one reflecting on the painting they’ve been living with, and the other about how they feel about letting it go.

Then…we got in the messy of the process…..SO MUCH FUN!!

As we reflected afterwards, here is what came to mind for me, “at some point all the seeming randomness becomes connected and cohesion comes into focus.” This was really meaningful to me as I think about letting go not needing to be an active choice but could also be engaging in the next thing and before you know it the past is covered over, embellished, and texturized.

In the end, as much as we were hesitant to cover over our paintings, no one missed the old one and was embracing the new and loving it. So, we live with this one for another month and embrace transition again.