In the third part of the workshop, participants looked at their own inkblots, now dry, and began to draw. The first step is to draw around what one sees with a black pen, and the second step is to color whatever that might be with colored pencils.
This technique neatly sidesteps any ideas one might have about not being able to draw–because, after all, it is not that one is drawing, it is only outlining what is already there, right? So, if you are working with a group of non-artists, this will really help get them started with success experiences right out of the gate.
This group was comprised of artists who work with seniors already or who are training to work with seniors, administrators, and gerontologists, but the work was so uniformly exciting and interesting, there was no way to tell the difference between the inkblots from experienced artists and those from the novices.
The day culminated in a presentation by Susan Perlstein, consultant and founder: National Center for Creative Aging, and Elders Share the Arts in Brooklyn. She spoke on Creative Aging: Research Principles and Best Practice.
What a fantastically thrilling day. Thanks to Robin Glazer at The Creative Center for inviting me. I learned so much, and was moved and inspired by the wonderful artwork produced by all of the participants. Thank you!