Come and explore an abstract expression of the shapes and textures of the physical world around us over a weekend with Chris Small on beautiful Ngarrindjeri Country at Ballanee Farm. You will be encouraged and supported to take chances and explore 'what happens'- think being a big kid in a really cool 'dream' kindergarten! If moments of fear or resistance arise Chris will work with you to just 'do it anyway', to move through the fear to find the rush of excitement of taking a risk with the small stuff. It will be fun, messy, and you may even learn something about yourself.

*Scroll to the end of the page to see a short video of Chris's process to see what you are in for!

**If you have mobility concerns please make contact with Chris (see below) and we will work to find a solution to ensure your participation will be easy.

Saturday morning 9.30 am - 12.30pm

Chris will take you on as short walk around the Ballanee Farm garden, taking in views across rolling hills and Lake Albert. This helps to ground us, to connect to the nature and colours around us. You will be able to collect bits of nature to inspire you while you create. Then the fun starts! We will make a mess on the canvas using different materials like acrylic paint, ochre pigment and spray paint. Explore the way that the different mediums interact with each other and have chemical and visual reactions that create changes to the other. During the workshop Chris will talk about how developing a relationship with your creative piece is an integral part of the process. By focusing on what is in front of you, having moments of making choices, the feel of making the marks, of using different tools, of seeing how colours bounce off each other. While we create, we will provide a space for a relaxed yarn that will explore what this means to us in our lives, and what it tells us about ourselves.

Saturday afternoon 2.00 pm - 5.00 pm

After a delicious lunch, Chris will guide you to will take the visual chaos you have created from the morning and use a variety of tools to start to find parts of the mess to keep, and what to let go. We will explore what to cover up, what to expose; what to layer with something new and what to scratch back. You will be able to draw and paint shapes with paints, pastels, and scratching tools. This process will create something brand new out of the mess, while keeping the mess underneath. This process will include discussions/musings about how the seemingly inconsequential decisions we make in the creative process might help us have insight into our decision-making processes more broadly. Chris will share some of her story to illustrate and open the conversation up to the way creative processes can shape the way we operate in our lives and the world. At the end of this session, you will be encouraged to notice how you feel about your creative experience.

Sunday morning 9.30 am - 12.30pm

In our last session, you will be invited to share your thoughts about your work so far and to look at your work with fresh eyes, connecting with how you feel about the work, and adding your final layer or embellishments. Chris will provide a space for you to explore how the mindfulness and momentary nature of the process of creating is an activity that can improve our sense of wellness. She will explain the nature of her relationship with her creative pieces of work and how this is integral to her process.

What’s included?

All materials (paints, canvas, stencils, brushes - please bring your own if you have favourites)
Lunch both days
Morning and afternoon teas
A Creative Mess by You canvas to take home

What should I bring?

Comfortable clothes and shoes that you don't mind getting messy

About Chris Small

Chris is a practicing abstract artist with a micro-business called Chris Small Art. Chris has a 25 year background working in social services with people who have experienced trauma, as well as having lived experience of trauma including surviving domestic and sexual violence. Although she is not trained formally in therapy and is not able to provide therapeutic support, she will provide a safe environment for people with these histories.

Please make contact with Chris on chrissmallart@gmail.com, via Instagram or Facebook messaging if you would like to talk with her before attending. Chris will then share her phone number with you so you can talk with her if that's more comfortable for you.

Accommodation

If you don’t live in Meningie, we recommend either of the following two options: Waterfront Motel - very close to Ballanee Farm and on the shore of Lake Albert with a very good restaurant.
Lake Albert Caravan Park - on the other side of the township from Ballanee Farm, also on the lake shore, a beautiful park with a range of cabin or camping options opposite the Cheese Factory restaurant.