Outdoor painting at the Evergreen Brick Works

Artists with all levels of experience are invited to join a two-part outdoor painting session at the Evergreen Brick Works. Hosted by artist Marjan Verstappen, we will come together to discuss our climate anxieties (and potential actions to take to address them) through community building and art-making. Participants are welcome to paint the landscape, plants they find interesting, or anything other ideas they wish to develop, in a nurturing, non-judgmental space.

These workshops are inspired by sit-spot meditation practice; the goal of sit-spot meditation is to alleviate climate anxiety by attuning yourself to the ecosystem around you, and better recognising its moods and its patterns. This workshop series offers an opportunity to express some of our fears, ideas, and dreams when it comes to a more just and liveable future. No prior artistic experience is necessary; just bring your thoughts, feelings, and an open heart.Participants are encouraged to bring their own easels and materials, but basic painting supplies are provided.

About the artist: Marjan Verstappen is a painter, filmmaker, and community art educator. In her paintings, she works with materials that fulfil industrial purposes, namely; cyanotype, asphalt, and oil paint. As she works, she asks herself, ‘what kind of stories can be told about these materials?’ and, ‘what do they tell us about ourselves?’ If she were to describe these paintings in a word, it would be folding: a folding of time, place, and material. She seeks a relationship with these materials, and the landscapes she paints that are embodied, honest, and hopeful of repair.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Evergreen Brick Works, 550 Bayview Avenue, Toronto, Canada