TOUCH DRAWING (4-Week Course)

With Barbara Davis, LCSW, REAT

@ Waterfall Arts

Starts May 8 @ 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm

$120.00 – $150.00

In conjunction with the exhibition “You Are Never Alone” we are thrilled to offer a 4-week Touch Drawing workshop with Expressive Arts Therapist Barbara Davis. Class dates: May 8, 15, 22, and 29 Ages 16+

Touch Drawing is a simple process accessible to all, artist and non-artist alike. Participants are first guided through a brief meditation and visual imagery to help them settle into and access their felt sense. We begin by rolling wet paint out on a board and placing a piece of paper on top. We draw with our hands on the dry side of the paper and watch forms and images appear. There is no advanced planning about what to draw, no copying of images or attempting to draw something specific. Rather, the hands move in response to our internal sensations, feelings and impulses opening a channel to our creativity and bypassing our ego and critical thinking. Each drawing is done quickly as in gesture drawing. 

The process tends to bring about a state of calm and wonder as unexpected images begin to appear. A series of drawings will be created in each session. Participants will be encouraged to engage in free or spontaneous writing to aid in the integration process. In later classes participants will learn how to mount their drawings, and have the option of going back into certain images with drawing materials should they choose to do so. Optional personal sharing in small groups will be encouraged as well. 

About the instructor: Barbara Davis is a Registered Expressive Arts Therapist (REAT) and Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and artist. Barbara holds a BFA from RISD and a MSW and MFA from Rutgers University. As a teenager Barbara experienced the healing power of the arts while her family was navigating her father’s life-threatening illness. Since then Barbara has held a strong belief that participating in art-making processes is good for our physical, mental and spiritual health and is excited by current scientific research that demonstrates this to be true—regardless of whether or not one is an artist. In addition to working as a therapist, Barbara has taught all ages on and off throughout her career. When not at work or in her studio she enjoys cross country skiing, hiking and swimming. 

Waterfall Arts

256 High Street

Belfast, Maine 04915