A Buenaventura Art Association Program
Our Classes
Free creative wellness workshops · Available by request · BAA Art Center, Ventura Harbor Village
Classes are free and open to all — no experience needed. Request a class at your location or let us know you'd love to see it offered again.
Word & Wonder
Impactful words coupled with imagery were historically referred to as broadsides. These would be posted in the streets to convey important messages of the time to its citizens. Today, many feel overwhelmed by the hourly news. In this workshop, we will take-in natural beauty that surrounds us to grow compassion within ourselves, and turn it into something beautiful to behold. We will generate words that express our feelings and incorporate them into the art we create. Once complete, we will have something expressive to share with those we love & beyond to help elevate those around us and change the narrative.
Intuitive Painting
Rima will offer an intuitive abstract painting process as a way to access inner truth, voice and emotion. She will facilitate a meditation at the beginning to help participants access calm as a precursor to the creative process. Visual language does not require thought or words, and can be felt on a universal level. Participants will warm up using drawing exercises on mixed media paper. The exercises will encourage them to practice making marks and authentic gestural lines. Finally, they will create a painting on watercolor paper/canvas panels (12x16") using color and line and shape to express their intuition. Participants will be encouraged to use their fingers to paint as a way to access direct sensory input.
Go With the Flow
“Go With the Flow” watercolor workshop is a relaxing, nature-inspired painting experience that invites you to slow down, observe, and create intuitively. Surrounded by the outdoors, participants explore watercolor techniques, letting color, water, and the natural environment be the guide. With gentle instruction and space for personal expression, this workshop is perfect for all skill levels and offers a calming way to connect with creativity, mindfulness, and the beauty of nature.
Deep Puppetry
Deep Puppetry utilizes simple materials, exploring our relationship with our surroundings and movement through contact with the objects all around us. In this 3 hour workshop, we will embrace our ability to slow down, refrain from mining for meaning, release demands for explanation, and allow the practice to be our guide. Opposite the assumptions and reductions of classical puppet performance, this workshop will explore Deep Puppetry as a highly accessible personal practice, witnessing curiosity in the power of being.
Rhythm & Tide
Rhythm & Tide” is a soulful beach dance flow experience where movement meets the ocean’s pulse. Dancers of all levels explore fluid motion, grounding energy, and joyful expression as sun, sea, and sound blend into a moving meditation. Build confidence, creativity, and body awareness. Suitable for all levels, it blends relaxation, connection to nature, and joyful movement into a supportive, uplifting session.
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