Inspired Vistas: Seeing the Seashore and Mountains with Fresh Eyes

Sometimes an artist “from away” can appreciate a place as deeply as those who have lived their entire lives in the same spot.

The creative outsider vividly experiences the colors, textures, patterns, and contrasts of a new environment. His or her eyes have not been dulled by familiarity and the need to wrest a living from the scenery on a daily basis.

This program features award-winning artwork, photos, and videos by Bob Barancik. He uses his work to elicit creative responses from participants. It is an experiential process of really seeing and being open to unexpected insights. It is not about product or technique.

Both the media presentation and the workshop can be structured into appropriate learning modules for different audiences and attention spans. Workshops generally run from one to three hours and are suitable for both young people and adults.

Wabi Sabi Maine: The Beauty of Weathered Surfaces and Thoughts

“Wabi sabi” is the centuries-old Zen Buddhist perception of beauty. It cannot be literally translated from the Japanese into English. But certain words catch some of its spirit—rustic, worn, irregular, roughly textured, earthy, and weather-beaten.

Although we live in an era of slick computer graphics and shrink wrapped packages, there remains a primal craving for a more rustic world. A place revealed by the grinding cycles of the seasons. Millions of tourists flock to Maine each summer and experience the joy of wabi sabi without knowing they are having a Zen experience.

This program features award-winning artwork, photos, and videos created by Bob Barancik. He uses his work to elicit creative responses from participants. Particular attention is paid to zexploring the inevitable conflict between consumerism and the world’s natural processes. This is an experiential workshop about really seeing and making unexpected insights.