Take time out and unwind for a week on our finca creatively. As in the past, this year the popular Pure Creativity! seminar again took place from October 3 to 8. Instead of reporting about it ourselves, though, we would like to give a participant a chance to describe her experience. Here are her impressions:
“Only a few kilometres from the Andalusian village of Ojén lies the Finca ‘El Tejar’, where this year a six-day creative seminar took place, led by the artists Heike Kleffmann and Ellen Schlottner, who invited all the participants to try and live out their creativity.
We felt welcomed by the lush nature and the manifold flower scents as we entered the finca through the wrought-iron gate.
Each day started with a lovingly prepared breakfast. In this way, all the ‚creative souls‘ got to know each other better very quickly, and then it was time to start!
In the following days everyone could be creative under the guidance of Heike and Ellen (each in turn). Heike taught us how to overcome our shyness about drawing and to see the imperfect as very beautiful. Everything has its own charm; you just have to be brave and start. So after a short time we drew away eagerly and were surprised at the speed and quality with which work after work came into being.
Ellen introduced us to various techniques, including decalcomania. This is a ‘transfer’ technique where you coat a paper with liquid paint and then place foil or a sheet of glass on top. One then pushes the foil or glass plate back and forth and finally lifts it off. This creates marbling and colour gradients on the original paper. Soon we were all in a colour frenzy and pushing, pulling and twisting foil and glass plate around. Wonderful surreal images emerged, which we refined even further with other tools as the week progressed.
Of course, the finca itself offered the best drawing motifs. And so off went artist Heike, who grabbed some paper, a fine liner and walked around the finca on a search for motives. Many a beautiful spot ended up in the sketchbooks of the participants.
To be creative in nature, to feel the sun and wind, to listen to the sounds of nature – what could be better? The beauty of this spot on earth makes the heart soar and leaves no one untouched.
And so, over the course of these days, the participants created work after work that was amazing, and you couldn’t get enough of it. Colours, techniques, ideas, materials – everything together led to an explosion of creative energy that helped us produce the most diverse creative works.
Then it was time to say goodbye, to each other, to old and new friends, to the finca, to being lovingly cared for by the residents of the finca – who spoiled us with wonderful organic meals – to our own ‘workplace’, to the atmosphere, the silence and the feeling of peace that this place gives.
This opportunity to discover ourselves creatively was great, was very special.
I will be back for the next Pure Creativity! seminar in 2024 …”