Zen & the Art of Photography

Don't know if you know this but our School of Photography at the then Bournemouth College of Art (now Arts University of Bournemouth) was referred to as the Zen School of Photography, not by us but by our educational rivals; jealous they were, of they knew not what. And you can read something about these times in Stephen Bray's new book 'Zen and Photography' which will be published soon and which I am writing a preface for (I think)
So here is some information about the perfect Zen Photographic Retreat for you this summer at Starstone lead by...

Natasha Lythgoe

She writes...

Zen & The Art of Photography

What is Mindfulness?

Bringing our full attention to anything is mindfulness. This kind of attention has no particular goal in mind and enables a sense of ease, playfulness and an openness to what is here and now.

How does it connect to Photography?

When we bring this approach to photography it leads us into a deeper connection with ourselves and the world around us – our subject.

Using mindfulness meditation and photography exercises you will learn how to approach and come into relation to your subject and how to make the best use of your camera and available light.

This workshop is open to all level of photographic experience and all kinds of cameras.

specific dates soon on our programme 

Michael
at Starstone

coming soon.. 

Arte e Meditazione with Mauro Magrini

Rackmaninov concert, pianist Lorenzo di Bella

Our paintings from the exhibition Isola dei Morti were projected onto a huge screen behind the pianist.
Here is mine, looks ominous on that scale which I think is nice.

Michael,
Starstone

Bocklin

This is a continuation of the exhibition at the Permariemonti Gallery where 14 artists, myself included have contributed work towards a 'Homage to Bocklin' the famous Swiss painter.
This concert is a recital of the music of Rachmaninoff by three pianists where our work will be projected during the performance. Nice idea, meet for a pizza beforehand?
And this is the painting I contributed

Refreshed Starstone site up soon.

Michael

Our programme of retreats for 2014

Am busy putting together our programme for 2014 and what an assortment of treats we have in store dear reader. Our year begins in February and ends in November, longer because we are planning retreats in Venice now and the UK too.
Our retreats will feature BIG painting, Word and Image, 'Hunting the Heart of the Blue Deer', Energetics and Music and Voice amongst other tasty items.
Running in conjunction with these we offer our One2one service for those folks who prefer individual attention in their creative pursuits.
And that of course is what Starstone is all about, creativity.
That God given Gift which you simply must not ignore in your life.

Michael
Details on our website www.starstone.org

above BIG Painting by Michelle Rumney who co-leads Big Painting workshop

BIG PAINTING Workshop

Where you paint BIG and become yourselves Big again by doing so (these things go together you see)

Painting BIG with Michelle Rumney and Michael Eldridge; May 8-11 2014 in Italy

Big brushes, big colour and big canvas

BIG YOU!

So many people try to paint without letting themselves really get into the physicality of the materials - the session includes painting with your non-dominant hand and painting on BIG surfaces with long handled brushes to help get over the tidiness and get into the fun of it'.

It's very powerful and once you've painted out the dark cobwebs in your brain, you really begin to realise how cramped your life has become, you come to realise that you can begin to paint your every day, paint your life. It's when your creativity becomes one with you and you with it.

http://www.starstone.org/calendar/big-painting

And take a peep at our video

Jamna's questions

Jamna: How can I motivate myself to be creative when I've been away from it for a while?

Michael: An easy one to answer but a possible struggle to perform.

So, imagine I'm a dentist and you email me telling me you haven't cleaned your teeth for a while and how can you get back to doing so. Uhm! I would say, best thing to do would be to start cleaning your teeth; the proper way, up and down and twice a day. Problem solved. Then, being a dentist I would probably send you a bill for £300.

So, doing by doing, making by making. If you do, it's done (and the world is a brighter place). If you don't, it's not (and the world is a little duller)

And just as not cleaning your teeth makes you feel lousy, so does not creating beyond yourself.

Got it?

And remember how painting makes you feel good, even though there are initial struggles and mental knots to untie.

Well, you may ask, what's stopping the action?

Answer; the day to day mind, that's what.

It hates anything new and just wants you to chug along on two cylinders, always pulling you back to your default state because that's where it can control you.

But you know from your Italian venture that the you it assumes is you is merely a construct which wants you to listen repeatedly to its dull monotony.

The creative Jamna whom you were thrilled to meet and who pulled aside the veils of your hidden self, that's the real, everlastingly there Jamna. Don't be hoodwinked.

Wake up.

And clean your teeth!

Creativity and the business mind

What our creativity and business workshops are about

They are essentially about reopening the channels of creativity in peoples' minds. Art types, poetic types, business folk, academics; to us they are all one of the same, simply because most human minds are the same at birth. What we do is bring folks back to their innate creativity through games, strategies and labyrinthal journeys, to a spot where they are able to choose to access either the rational part of the mind or the poetic, at need and when the circumstances demand. And to do this we take folks back to the point in their lives where the divergence first takes place, i.e. the advent of the educational process and the confounding pressure of social conditioning. And from here we build.