Flow State

About This Event

Flow State is a 6-week abstract painting class that explores the connections between intuitive painting, mindfulness meditation, and community. Participants will learn how to combine abstract painting and drawing skills with mindfulness meditation techniques. Each workshop will present different ways this hybrid practice can be used to hold space for our Selves and each other. Participants will work individually and as a group using acrylic paint, pastels, paper and canvas. This class will connect to abstract works in the Denver Art Museum collection, including pieces by artists like Mark Bradford, Elaine de Kooning, Joan Mitchell, Sam Gilliam, Shinique Smith, and Sonia Gechtoff. Students will be led into the galleries at the beginning of each workshop to observe and discuss one work. The selected work will serve as an introduction to and inspiration for the exercises that will be practiced that day, which will include: guided meditations, gestural painting prompts, and group reflections. While each week will be a different experience, students can expect to walk away with a series of personal abstract paintings on paper, a set of creative meditations to use in everyday life, and the opportunity to co-create a large scale group painting with others. The large group painting will require participants to work on the same surface at the same time in some instances. No prior painting or drawing skills are required. No experience with meditation or mindfulness required. This class is open to all skill levels. Class Timeline (meets every Wednesday for 6 weeks from March 1 to April 5 at 1:30–3:30 pm): - Class 1: Artist introduction and meditation intro - Class 2: Intuitive drawing intro, individual practice and getting to know your materials - Class 3: Intuitive drawing, individual practice continued - Class 4: Individual practice continued, begin group painting - Class 5: Continue group painting - Class 6: Final group painting All materials are included in class pricing and will be provided to students on the first day of class. Pricing (all materials included): - Museum Friends: 290 - Member: 305 - Student: 305 - Non-Member: 360 About the Educator: Visual artist Sarah Darlene explores the functionality of abstraction through a feminine, queer, and contemporary perspective. Her work investigates the intersections of painting, social practice, and meditation and their collective ability to promote self-reflection, cathartic healing, and true social change. Palmeri holds a BFA in Painting and Drawing from Louisiana State University, and an Executive Certificate of Nonprofit Management from the University of Notre Dame. She has been a member of Strangers Art Collective since 2015 and is a former Artist in Residence at RedLine Contemporary Art Center in Denver. Her work has been exhibited throughout the United States and Iceland. Creative Classes at the DAM: Creative Classes offer an opportunity to learn from local professional creatives in a studio art environment. Each class is uniquely designed by a creative educator for an adult audience, with specific connections to Denver Art Museum exhibitions and collections. Connect with professional creatives, learn a new skill, and expand your own creative practice. Choose a 1-day workshop to try out a new technique or a 4-week or 6-week class for greater in-depth exploration. No prior experience is necessary.

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