Mindful Art – Dot painting
Are you looking for ways to feel calmer, happier? Why not try out some mindful art techniques at home! We will make a creation inspired by an artist in our collection: Paddy Japaljarri Sims.
Paddy Japaljarri Sims (1917 – 2010) was an Australian Aboriginal artist. Sims painted with Warlukurlangu Artists Aboriginal Corporation, an Aboriginal owned and governed art centre, for a long time. In 1988 he was selected by The Power Gallery, Sydney University to travel to Paris with five other Warlpiri men from Yuendumu to create a ground painting installation at the exhibition ‘Magiciens de la Terre’ at the Centre Georges Pompidou. The trip took place in May 1989 and the painting was received with world-wide acclaim. Paddy was also one of the senior male artists who worked on the Yuendumu Doors.
For this activity, you’ll only be needing some paper (possibly a brown envelope if you have one) and any pens with a thick tip. We advice to start with a short meditation, followed by the activity itself. Find a tranquil spot in your home or garden and get all the materials ready.
There are several free short meditations online, we suggest the following one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i
You can find this as well as some other resources in our Glasgow Club website: http://myglasgow.club/customer/index.php/mind
After you finish your meditation exercise, enjoy this calm feeling for a few seconds.
If you wish, you can keep playing some relaxing music and, while listening to it, let your mind wander as you start to add the dots to your page one colour at a time. Don’t try to actually ‘draw’ anything as such, just see how the patterns take shape and develop.
You can be as intricate as you like and cover the whole page in dot patterns or be more sparing with your dot designs. You can use as many colours as you like, combining or superimposing them – there is no right or wrong!
Keep adding dots until the page is full – or until you think is enough. You don’t need to achieve any particular design, just enjoy the process – and do not judge your result!
You can then finish off your session with another short meditation. Hopefully after this you will feel calmer and ready to move onto the next part of your day.
Share your creations with us on social media! #MindfulArt