October 20, 2026

Shodo – Japanese Calligraphy

Shodo is the meditative art of transforming Japanese Kanji characters into living expressions of energy, rhythm, and mindfulness. Unlike Western calligraphy, which often seeks geometric perfection through retracing and correction, Shodo is entirely linear and irreversible. Every line reveals the speed, pressure, direction, and state of mind of the creator.

• Intention: Intentionality, posture, and acceptance of the unrepeatable moment. In Shodo, you write with your whole body. Proper seating, grounded feet, and deep abdominal breathing allow your energy to flow directly down your shoulder, arm, and brush tip. There are no corrections, touch-ups, or second chances on a stroke. If a stroke comes out dry, thick, or slightly off-balance, you honor it as an authentic reflection of that specific breath and move forward.
• Materials: Black ink, a small dish, a pointed soft-bristle brush – bamboo or watercolor, paper towels, watercolor or porous paper (I use manila drawing paper for this practice), Kanji handout, download below.

October 27, 2026

Sumi-e – Asian Ink Wash Painting

Sumi-e is an ancient East Asian art form centered on capturing the essential spirit or essence of a subject. Learn the beauty of this intuitive painting technique focused on gesture and brushstroke. Every stroke is a direct record of breath, posture, and presence in the exact moment the brush meets the page.

• Intention: Embrace imperfection and single-stroke truth. The beauty of ink wash lies in spontaneity. Variations in ink density and the paper's natural absorption are embraced as natural elements of the artwork rather than mistakes.
• Materials: Black ink, a small dish, a pointed soft-bristle brush – bamboo or watercolor, paper towels, and watercolor or porous paper, (I use manila drawing paper for this practice).

November 3, 2026

Expressive Collage

Expressive Collage is an intuitive process of visual translation. In this exercise we will create a collage utilizing the freedom of spontaneity, intuition, and emotive expression. The page becomes a mirror for an internal landscape, capturing thoughts, goals, and emotional states that are often hard to put into words.

• Intention: Intuitive deconstruction and reconstruction. The magic happens in the shift from tearing down to building back up. Tear away old narratives to assemble a new composition that speaks to where you are right now.
• Materials: Old magazines/newspapers, scissors, a glue stick, and thick paper.

November 10, 2026

Lessons from the Nautilus

Inspired by the nautilus, create a painting to express your connection with nature.

• Intention: Growth, expansion, and sanctuary. The nautilus shell grows sequentially in logarithmic spirals, sealing off older chambers as it builds larger ones to inhabit. Frame your connection to nature around how you expand, adapt, and build personal safe harbors through life's cycles.
• Materials: A basic watercolor pan set or acrylic paint, a cup of water, brushes, paper towels, and thick mixed-media or watercolor paper.

November 17, 2026

Paper Kintsugi

Integrate the ancient process of Japanese Kintsugi --  repairing and strengthing broken pottery with gold -- into paper.

• Intention: Resilience, transformation, and honoring imperfection. Kintsugi ("golden joinery") treats breakage and repair as part of an object's history rather than something to disguise. On paper, focus on how tearing and mending creates a rich texture that tells a story of strength through vulnerability.
• Materials: Decorative or handmade paper, gold metallic paint, a painbrush, wax paper/parchment/plastic wrap, paper towels.

November 24, 2026

The Tree of Life Watercolor Painting

The Tree of Life serves as an ancient, universal symbol of growth, deep roots, and interconnectedness. In this practice, the tree becomes a vessel for emotional release. Rather than forcing rigid branches or realistic bark, you allow the fluid nature of watercolor guide the structure.

• Intention: Releasing control and embracing the flow state. This exercise is about unlearning the need for precise outlines and allowing water to dictate where the story goes.
• Materials: A basic watercolor pan set, a cup of water, brushes, paper towels, and thick mixed-media or watercolor paper.