Intuitive Painting in Tuscany Inspired & free painting!! with Artist/instructor Joanna Goodrich Whitney Cortona, Italy April 14-21, 2012
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Thoughts by Joanna about this workshop...
My Intuitive Painting class is for adults and teens who want to try something new. It is also for Artists who are creatively blocked. It is also useful for people who have never done art (or not since childhood) and are curious.
My purpose is to create a space for the spirit to express itself freely and for the individual and the group to learn to interact with it in a supportive and encouraging way. The class becomes an experiential, transformative process that can be life-changing.
Having more than one day allows students to go home and "sleep on it" and come back the next day, refreshed. This is a very important part of the process when working with the Intuition.
I am teaching the method that I use and have used to create art since 1988. Some people call it process painting, others spontaneous art. I call it intuitive painting because, using paint as the medium, it has trained me to use my Intuition. I have been able to apply it to writing, video, performance, computer animation, and living.
Trusting, utilizing & following Intuition, especially during this time of uncertainty, is an invaluable skill. Of course, to glean the most from this method, one has to practice it, but many students take to it, as I did and make it a part of their lives.
I walk around and coach individually. Almost immediately we deal with the judging mind: "...this is terrible, I can't do it..." and I help students walk through that darkness using various techniques and questions that I have developed over the years from living this way and mentoring others.
There are no mistakes. Students are encouraged not to throw away and start over, but to work through their dislikes, incorporating them into something new that they had not planned.
A week-long workshop allows for immense spiritual growth and a solidifying of the process in the psyche as the ego acquieses to the Intuition.
There is time taken at the beginning and end of each session for discussion. This builds an experiential understanding of how to challenge oneself as an artist, with group encouragement & support.
What is Intuitive Painting?
Most people say about art, “I can’t draw a straight line” or they say “I have always wanted to do art, but I have no talent”.
Everyone can make art – and we all did as kids, but something happened – usually a criticism from a well-meaning adult embarrassed us or we were encouraged away from art because it wasn’t our strong suit. Others of us had a natural inclination toward art, and we pursued it. Some of us decided to pursue the commercial arts for our livelihood…and a few of us even became painters – a handful of us do it for a living…
The question is, do you have the freedom you once did? Can you take the risks you took as a child? Do you want to find a connection to the art process again? Would you like to have a fresh new view of life using art as the vehicle? Are you willing to confront the ideas you have about your ability to have a new experience?
People can learn art in different ways…they can learn how to see using drawing and painting from life and use of materials and techniques through art school training first and eventually find their inner voice or they can gain access to self-expression first and allow techniques to develop in time.
Intuitive Painting fosters the latter art learning method. It supports freedom and exploration and trusts that the Spirit will guide the person on their creative path. A person can always learn to draw and paint later, and in that way, the personal voice will carry the most weight.
In addition, the process of exploration fosters a trust in the Intuition in general. This is a very useful addition to any life. That inner knowing helps in decision making, encourages
self-esteem, good judgment, poise, consideration, meditation.
I teach Intuitive Painting – a painting process that I learned 20 years ago in a class I took.
I took one class and was completely inspired and set out to practice what I learned every day up till today. I have used it for painting, drawing, video, writing, performance, and all of living. Having gone to art school, I had become blocked by my own knowledge. Intuitive Painting set me free.
I can teach anyone to do it, if they are willing to submit to this simple process.
Sinks and Wall space required. Materials supplied.
In addition, I teach traditional drawing, painting, fundamentals of design & color theory
The origins of Intuitive Painting come from the Surrealists, namely Andre Masson (1896-1987) who began Automatic Drawing, in which the hand moves “randomly” across the paper, and therefore expresses ideas from the unconscious. Other artists who practiced Automatic Drawing are Joan Miro, Salvador Dalí, Jean Arp and André Breton. The process was transferred to painting later often starting as drawings that were then developed into paintings.
I take this a step further than the Surrealists because of their claim that the information comes from the unconscious. My experience is that the information comes from the Spirit, or the Intuition. In my class we utilize other techniques, which open up the Right Brain and gain access to knowledge which apparently is from outside of us, although some may disagree. It is my experience that I gain insight to situations that is from a Power that is not of me, when I am practicing Intuitive Painting, similarly to meditation. The practice of Intuitive Painting, when practiced regularly seems to develop the 6th Sense.
Picture Yourself... among the sights and sounds of beautiful and romantic Tuscany: olive groves, vineyards, centuries-old buildings, winding streets, texture and vibrant sunlight.
Feel Yourself... in the warm ambiance of Cortona, overlooking Lake Trasimeno and the Val di Chiana, originally fortified by the Umbrians, claimed by the Etruscans, touched by the Renaissance, almost unchanged for centuries, one of Tuscany's jewels.
Experience... the joy of painting en plein air in a relaxed and inspiring atmosphere with the expert instruction of a nationally know artist and instructor and the camaraderie of a small group of learners.
Enjoy... great Italian food, delightful wines, new friends, breath-taking vistas, history and the hospitality of the people of Cortona.
All-inclusive* workshop includes: Escorted group travel Florence to Cortona April 14, 2011**** Instruction in the studio Seven nights three-star accommodations in historic Cortona** (Private room & bath) Local Etruscan Museum & Museo Diocesano All meals*** (Italian breakfast, lunch and dinner) Daily wine tasting opportunities Day trip to Florence A farewell wine tasting dinner Selected materials included! **Included with "Hotel" plans only. See details. ***Included with "Group Meal Plan" only. See details. ****Specific departure time from Florence airport only; time to be announced, return train ticket to Florence provided (not escorted) *All-inclusive plans are Hotel plans only. Air travel and ground transportation to/from Cortona is not included and is the responsibility of each participant.
Hotel Oasi Neaumann proud partner of Toscana Americana Workshops
Visit Hotel Oasi Neumann website
Itinerary
Saturday– Arrival in Cortona
-Arrival and Check-in in Cortona
-7:00p Welcome to Cortona wine and chocolate tasting at La Saletta.
-8:00p Dinner in Cortona
Sunday - Cortona
-9:00 -1:00p Morning top-down walk in Cortona -1:00p Lunch
-3:00-6:00p Afternoon Workshop
-7:30p Wine tasting
-8:00p Dinner in Cortona
Monday - Cortona
-9:00 -1:00p Morning Workshop
-1:00p Lunch
-3:00-6:00p Afternoon Workshop
-7:30p Wine tasting
-8:00p Dinner in Cortona
Tuesday- Cortona
-9:00-1:00p Morning Workshop
-1:00p Lunch
-3:00-7:00p Afternoon Workshop
-7:30p Wine tasting
-8:00p Dinner in Cortona
Wednesday 5/29 - Florence
-Day trip to Florence with lunch provided.
-TBA Train to Cortona
-7:30p Wine tasting
-8:00p Dinner in Cortona
Thursday - Cortona
-9:00-1:00p Morning Workshop
-1:00p Lunch
-3:00-7:00p Afternoon Workshop
-7:30p Wine tasting
-8:00p Dinner in Cortona
Friday- Cortona
-9:00a-1:00p Morning Workshop
-1:00p Lunch
-Free Afternoon
-8:00p Final wine tasting dinner in Cortona
Saturday- Departure
- Morning Check-out
- Departure from Cortona or we can help you plan an extended stay!
Note: Toscana Americana reserves the right to alter this itinerary. All times are approximate. Note: Transfers are provided only for programmed meals and activities away from the hotel. Note: All guests are responsible for handling their own luggage/baggage....we suggest to pack light. Note: No refunds are given for any unused aspects of the itinerary or for any activities outside the above itinerary.
Participant Supply List
The workshop will provide basic materials. Participants are responsible to provide the following: List coming soon!
About Cortona
Cortona is one of the true jewels of the Tuscan “hill towns.” Cortona, which is often called the “City of Art,” has its origin as an Etruscan city that pre-dates Roman times with sections of its walls dating back some 2500 years. As is typical of Tuscan hill-towns, Cortona is a walled city that, for purposes of defense, was built atop a prominent geographical point. The stone buildings and streets not only have the romance, style, and charm that are particular to Tuscany, but also speak of the lives and times Cortona has witnessed. An encounter with Cortona is an encounter with music & art, with history and with spirituality. Getting to know this timeless city is a real rediscovery of our past. Cortona offers testimony to its history as well as an enchanting view of the landscape enclosed by Lake Trasimeno and the Apennine mountains
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Meet Joanna Goodrich Whitney...
Joanna Goodrich Whitney was born in Berkeley, California, into an artistic and philanthropic family. She was encouraged and educated in the arts from a very young age. She attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City, graduating with her BFA in Illustration.
Whitney worked as a commercial illustrator and conceptual artist in New York, for the Hartford Courant, Cleveland Plain Dealer, and Carroll & Graf Publishers, until a series of epiphanical events brought her attention to an inner source. She moved to the artists' colony in Woodstock, New York, to pursue this new vision.
Whitney began using paintings in performance, collaboratively with poets and musicians and went on to pursue her Masters in Fine Arts in Integrated Electronic Art at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, in Troy, NY. Her Master's thesis, an integration of poetry and sculpture with painting-based video, was accompanied by improvised music and dance, in a 30-minute performance at the RPI Playhouse.
Upon graduating with her MFA, Whitney returned to painting in oils with mixed media on canvas. Applying the concept of frame-to-frame time passage one finds in editing video, she continued her exploration of series, individuality, cooperation, interdependence, abstraction & realism. She utilized photographic collage, often producing large paintings and then cutting them up into smaller pieces to be shown together but separately as individual works.
In 2003, while traveling, Whitney completed 30 small multimedia drawings, each of which included single-image photographic collage, colored pencil & water color. Later, she began multiple-image photographic collage paintings on single and multiple canvases - painted together, later separated, or cut apart. Whitney now frames her own work so that she can create the illusion of separation and cooperation with her interrelated canvases.
Whitney continues to explore themes of unity and separation, abstraction and realism. She currently resides in Denver, Colorado, and is actively showing in the Denver Metro Area. She has taught drawing & color theory at the Art Institute of Colorado, and Red Rocks Community College and Intuitive Painting at various venues around the state.
Her most recent body of work is in collaboration with another local artist, where they explore the relationship between paint, photography and found material in the form of wall relief sculpture utilizing the subject-matter of Christian iconography and symbolism.
She has currently begun another series of paintings utilizing photographic collage, found materials & oil on found wood and cardboard.
Testimonials...
“I actually feel like I left the class a little more self-expressed. I even felt more powerful. My communication at work has gotten stronger (standing up for what I need, etc) I know it sounds crazy but that truly has been my experience since taking your wonderful class. I am so grateful to Jessica Dunks for setting the class up and having you as the teacher. I want to learn more about art and expressing myself through art. So I'll probably be looking into taking a drawing class in the future. Joanna, I so enjoyed and benefited from your class. You are an amazingly inspirational teacher in a way mellow kind of way. I like that about you. Thank you again for everything you shared.” Namaste, Joanna.
Kathy Kramer, Colorado Springs, CO
"I am still painting and having a wonderful time. Last Friday I came home from work and with minimal interruptions spent six hours in my art room. I feel like your class was inspiring in an 'intuitive' sort of way ... life changing for those that are receptive."
Lynn Eschbach, Denver, CO
"I had the privilege of attending a painting workshop given by Joanna Whitney and was impressed by and grateful for the level of insight that Ms. Whitney possesses. Also, I admired the ease with which she is able to impart her knowledge of the painting process she utilizes when teaching. As a result, I was able to allow my creativity to blossom because of the freedom I was given to express myself in the workshop. I would recommend Ms. Whitney as an art teacher without reservation." Anne Cahill, Armonk, NY
"I loved it- enough that I now do it weekly with Laura and a few others from Columbine UU Church. The process is filled with opportunities for insight and growth- freeing what is inside to manifest itself on paper."
Ruth Cowger, Denver, CO
"...Joanna is an incredibly generous artist and teacher. Over the course of 2 days, she created an environment of safety and creative freedom that allowed me to strip away some of my artistic barriers. It took time, but she never hurried me. By not telling me how to see-feel-paint, she encouraged me to access my own impulses and express them on paper. At first I hit a wall of resistance from within myself, but over time, her patience and encouragement began to wear down some of my defenses...By the end of the weekend, I felt that although I had just begun to express myself, the possibility of artistic expression might actually be accessible to me..."
Sarah Safir Albany, CA
"At the onset, my classmates and I expressed our apprehension in expressing ourselves in art due to previous unpleasant experiences...It wasn't long that were all painting away and enjoying it. We painted and by the time we knew it the day had flown by. She encouraged us, gave us individual assistance if we needed it and then. let us experience the opportunity alone..."
Gloria Mora Pueblo, CO
I took Joanna's intuitive painting class a couple of years ago. It was everything I was looking for and more. Most people don't understand how intimidating a blank canvas can be. In this class we broke through the intimidation and had fun with the medium. I would whole-heartedly encourage anyone to take this class. It is powerful for artists who are stuck as well as those of us who yearn to "do" art, but are afraid and not sure where to begin. Joanna's caring guidance allowed me to do and see more than I thought I could.
Karen R., Denver, CO
My experience with Joanna's Intuitive Painting Class was difficult but inspiring. She would not let me "slide by". She truly pushed me to try expressing myself in ways I had never done. As a result, I have continued with my art work and truly learned to let myself "go".
However, the really fantastic outcome from Joanna's class has been the amazing progress of a friend who attended with me. She broke through all previous limitations and is now a successful artist with an extremely unique style which she has turned into both wall art and beautiful fabrics.
Within two years of completing Intuitive Painting, she is on display in several galleries and looking at other outlets for her previously undiscovered and unleashed talent.
