Colleen Nelson

Professional graphic artist, painter, teacher, dabbler in religious art and icons since 1969. Took the magical mystery bus tour with the Hog Farm while Wavy Gravy read the Journey to the East aloud, sketched my way from Paris to Nepal, India and Afghanistan, bringing home a lifetime's worth of electric and eclectic images of the divine comedy. Artist, journalist, cartoonist, art instructor, community organizer with an eye for where heaven touches the earth through the things we do.

Drawing Down the Divine

Workshop will be available as a two consecutive days teaching exercise, then run for the whole week as a place where artists can return to finish their personal iconographic work or art. I will have a breakdown of the meaning of colors in regards to differing religious traditions, from tibetan thankas to indigenous shamanistic and medieval saint icons, for those who are interested in the visionary use of color.

I would be around all week working on my own art, giving pointers, showing some techniques, etc. I think people would really get off on seeing art being made and as well as making it. I imagine we would also have a lot of live models to work from!

Participants will need to invest $10 for materials, which will include sketching materials, acrylic paint, prepared canvases, plywood and treated fabric for painting the religious icon of choice. Those who wish to take the class can email me ahead of time and we can brainstorm, prepare, get things worked out on an individual level. I would tell those who wish to take the class to Bring your imagination and create your own inner symbols or figures depicting that special plane of vision where your spirit can be seen. Make magic happen.