'Painting for Well-being' workshop

On the first Wednesday of each month, 2-4pm, I run PAINTING for WELL-BEING at The Wesley Centre, Almondbury Methodist Church, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD5 8XJ. While each session focuses on mindfulness via simple painting activities, the theme changes each month. All levels of experience are welcome - especially beginners! The cost is £10 per person, including basic materials. Please contact me for further information and to book a place at puysoden@gmail.com. Booking in advance is essential so I can prepare the correct amount of materials.

I like to tailor these workshops to the needs of my participants, as best I can. I listen carefully to comments and feedback during the sessions and often design future workshops with this input in mind.

So, the next 'Painting for Well-being' workshop on 7th September is inspired by comments that often come up about the resistance to use those 'special' materials you're 'saving' (avoiding, really!) because they seem to be a bit 'too good'.

Have you got 'special' sketchbooks, 'posh' paper, 'nice' packs of card, or 'pristine' canvases gathering dust on a shelf or in a shed because you don't feel your art-making deserves their perfect pages or sublime surfaces?

Do you leave those beautiful, shiny, fat tubes of expensive paint and those clean, fine paint-brushes intact in their glossy packaging because you "don't know where to start and your start can never be good enough anyway, so what's the point in starting?!"

"One day I'll think of the right project for that expensive sketchbook..."
"I'll learn to paint properly before I use that painting set and I haven't got time to learn..."
"I can't mark those beautiful pages with my hopeless daubing..."
"So-and-so who gifted that canvas will expect a masterpiece - I can't do it!"
"I'm scared I'll ruin it so I better leave it in its wrapper...!"
"I'll re-gift it to someone who'll use it properly..."

Are these thoughts familiar? Then this session is for you! BRING THE THINGS YOU'RE TOO SCARED TO TOUCH! I'll help you break the spell and MAKE A START. We'll face the fear together and do it anyway! It's okay - YOUR ART-MAKING IS GOOD ENOUGH AND DESERVES ALL KINDS OF MATERIALS, from poor and accessible cardboard to beautiful, hand-made paper. Who says there's a hierarchy?

If you haven't got any materials like these, then please come along anyway! I always provide enough materials for everyone. Please email me at puysoden@gmail.com to book! I look forward to seeing you.

For more information visit https://www.puysoden.com/paintingforwellbeing