This is a traditional Sri Lankan welcoming bowl. Our dear friend Nomali, a recent retreatant at Mountain Water, grew up in Sri Lanka. Her elegant arrangements would greet all comers at the studio entrance each day. This one features the white evening primrose (Oenothera pallida), which had a riotous spring this year.
Once in a while, conditions are right for something to flourish in an extraordinary way. Plants and animals of all kinds seem to take turns waiting for just the right combination. This spring in southern Colorado was a very big year for the Evening Primrose. There were meadows here and nearby that looked as though they were decorated with fresh snow. The old timers around here say this only happens every few decades.
Anyone who paints, writes, plays music, or partakes of any creative endeavor knows that the conditions for productive engagement are often not available. Life can be impressively creative in offering its own beguilements. There is no knowing when the artistic temperature and soil conditions will be just right, but they can be encouraged. Mountain Water can cultivate creative moisture to arise naturally and without pretense.
In addition to self-directed retreats, we offer in-house tutorials in drawing, painting, watercolor, and general creativity, all in the context of contemplative inquiry. Both of us have many years of training and teaching in studio arts and mindfulness meditation and can assist you in designing a retreat that includes instruction and lots of studio time. Your retreat could be any duration of your choosing and could be solo or with a group of like-minded friends. Let us know if this interests you. Please feel welcome to visit for a retreat before too long. Mountain Water’s embrace of beauty, space, and conviviality works its magic quite reliably.
Robert Spellman & Joan Anderson