Over a 7 years span, until 2018, Margriet Van Erp attended the annual 

"Contemplative Art Retreat"

a 10 day live-in experience held in June at Invermara in Orillia, the summerhouse of the

Sisters of Saint Joseph. It was a silent retreat, no communication with other participants except at the evening sharing circle. About 18 participants from all over Canada were gently nurtured by our 4  hosts  leading us daily in contemplative, spiritual readings ,art lessons in various multi media,

and  art as prayer to reveal and express the deep, Divine Mystery within.

We each began the retreat with a personal theme, something about ourselves we wanted

to understand more deeply and hoped to expose through this creative process.

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We create Art As Prayer by making an overall intention to be intimate with the Divine Mystery.

Then,  we wait with expectancy, listening to the Voice within.

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As such by beginning art with this specific intention and listening, we experience the movement of the Divine exposed to us. Through intense daily reflection we made our innerAction journey. 

It is our conscious desire to be in that intimacy that unlocks the Mystery.

In this Current Show are a few abstract spontaneous drawings and mandelas by Margriet.

                    Look deeply, perhaps catch a glimpse of the some-Thing in us all.

 

Culture Days

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The pieces in this show were created by really listening to the Voice within and connecting with something great then ourselves. The mandala has been used as a spiritual tool by many different cultures and religions over many years to represent a spiritual journey through their many intricate layers. With this year’s Culture Days theme of RE:IMAGINE we have come up with our Digital Art Show where people from all over the country can experience and find inspiration to seek out these deeper connections in a time where we might feel disconnected. We encourage you to take inspiration from pieces in the show to create your own piece of art in this beautifully thoughtful way. Jump start your first piece with our free printable download at the bottom of the show or try               your hand starting from scratch.