Collaborative painting
Art is a wound turned into light. ―Georges Braque
👥 Serves: 8-25 people
🎚 Difficulty: Easy
⏳ Total time: 1.5 hours
🥣 Ingredients: Painting paper (you can purchase one long paper roll or many A1 paper sheets, which you can then tape together at the back), paint (there are many types of paint, but we suggest using water-based paint, so that you do not make too much of a mess. If you have low budget, just purchase the elemental colours yellow, red, blue plus white and black), brushes (1 per person, but better if they are of different thicknesses), water (to clean your brushes from time to time), music (we recommend using contemplative music or natural sounds to take the experience to a deeper level), a group of friends (we recommend a minimum of 8 people and a maximum of 25, but you can always purchase a smaller or larger canvas!)
💪 Nutritional values: Flow, Collaboration, Letting go, Creativity, Connection
Collaborative painting
📝 Description
A creative activity to let your imagination wander and be fully in the moment.
Collaborative painting builds on the healing power of art to invite you to be fully present in the here and now. Being in complete flow, also known as “being in the zone”, is a mental state of operation in which you feel fully immersed in the activity you are doing. Benefits include increased focus, enjoyment and happiness.
It is a group activity that invites you to establish a deeper connection with others, as well as fostering a feeling of belonging to something greater than yourself. Because there is no “this is my canvas and that one is yours”, by moving around, collaborative painting also helps you let go of the need to be always in control. Finally, the silence of this activity encourages you to explore non-verbal communication methods.
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This recipe has been featured in our blog post “Connecting the team through art” published on tbd* on 25 November 2020.
👣 Steps
Step 1 – Setting up (15’)
Create a big canvas and disperse the paint, brushes and water around. Put the music on.
Step 2 – Painting (60’)
Explain the “rules” to your friends (i.e. no talking, no standing in the same spot all the time). Start painting freely and every so often, invite your friends to change position around the canvas.
When the time is up (you can go on for longer, of course), or when there is no more white spaces on the canvas, stop.
Step 3 – Observing (5’)
Step back and take a few minutes to admire your collective piece of art, always without speaking.
Step 4 – Sharing (15’)
Take ten minutes or as much as you want to share your thoughts on the experience painting together.
Step 5 – What do to with the canvas?
Here are a few ideas on what to do with the finished piece:
- Gift it to the venue that has been hosting you;
- Give it to the host/facilitator of your event for them to take it home or to their office; or
- Cut the drawing in small pieces so that each participant can take some home with them.