Gentle DecayGentle DecayThrough the years I’ve had an opportunity to collaborate with other talented creatives, offering a unique insight into my practice and the Oshibana art form. Through my workshops, we explore the life-death-rebirth cycle, the floral art of preserving memories and how to be patient and gentle with ourselves.
Conducted in a brief moment before the world paused, Julia Nethersole (@Glass.Full) and I welcomed participants to slow down and tend to themselves at Handle with Care hosted in Toronto’s Stackt Market.
First we were led through a meditation by Teresa Auntora, then we discussed local flowers and the importance of them. After a few refreshments we made art with dried florals to be reminded of the beauty we possess as we grow and change and pass through different phases. Julia reminded us to handle ourselves with the same tenderness as these florals and intentionally choose to invest this time in ourselves. Romuana Abreau-Coburn captured the day with intention and an eye for the softness we wanted to emulate.
Facilitated at and experienced the magic of Nurture when I needed it most.
From Sonja’s website, Nurture is three days and two nights full of hands-on creative workshops, sumptuous seasonal meals and time to connect with yourself. Nurture is a soft place to land. A community that has your back. A weekend of creative nourishment and tending for entrepreneurs, leaders and caregivers.
I had an opportunity to share why my practice is important to me, a bit of my story,
To celebrate Mother’s Day, I brought a touch of Spring to residents at Allendale Long Term Care facility in the Halton Region. Residents were supported in creating their own framed floral artwork that they gave as gifts to their loved ones.
As a result of aging motor functions, this workshop differed from my others in that it largely was about offering the residents choice; in selection of flowers, colours and textures as myself and Samantha (Activities Coordinator) supported folks to secure their desires to the mat board.
Supporting the Closing Reception of Liza Wallaman’s art show ‘Home (Eco)nomics’, at On Task Behaviour, I facilitated a workshop where participants created dried flower terrariums.
Liza adorned her show opening with flowers that after a few weeks of decoration and drying became a material used by folks in their creations.
“On top of being an extremely knowledgeable and skilled creative, Cait puts so much thought, love, and intention into her craft. Working with her to bring a workshop to life was a really beautiful process of diving deep into the meaning behind what we were creating together and the significance of that expression. Everything she does is heart-centred. ” – Julia Nethersole, Glass Full