Saints, Sinners & Surface — A 5-Hour Abstract Collaboration Art Experience

Saints, Sinners & Surface
A 5-hour immersive studio experience led by national award-winning artist Michael Bell

Explore more at mbellart.com

This is not a traditional workshop.
This is a fully immersive creative experience.

Built around the tension between control and chaos, structure and instinct—this session invites you to explore the space between what you plan and what emerges.

Participants will work through a layered abstract process rooted in prompts (and some humor) around the concept of the 7 Deadly Sins and their opposing virtues, using collaboration, disruption, and reconstruction to create expressive, meaningful work.

At the center of this experience is one idea:

The most important job of any artist is to draw a line from your life to your art.

Over the course of five hours, you’ll move through a guided sequence of mark-making, collaboration, and intuitive exploration—building a piece that evolves through both intention and unexpected transformation.

• Concept development rooted in “Sin vs Virtue”
• Blind mark-making and intuitive drawing with music
• Mixed-media exploration (line, texture, value, color)
• Collaborative rotation—working into and responding to others’ pieces
• Rapid “breaking point” exercises to disrupt control and unlock instinct
• Reconstruction—layering, editing, and refining your final work

This experience is not about technique alone.
It’s about process, risk, and discovery.

You’ll be guided—but not restricted.
Challenged—but not judged.

The focus is not perfection.
It’s expression.

• A fully developed abstract mixed-media piece
• A deeper understanding of your creative process
• New approaches to collaboration and mark-making
• A shift in how you approach control, risk, and creativity

Artists, educators, and creative individuals at any level who want to push beyond comfort zones and explore a more expressive, intuitive approach to artmaking.

No experience necessary—just a willingness to engage in the process.

5-hour studio experience
All materials provided
Small group (limited seating for a focused, personal experience)

This is an intentionally small, immersive studio experience designed to allow for depth, interaction, and meaningful creative work.

This workshop is an extension of the foundation of Michael Bell’s Visual Journaling workshops and expands into a deeper, more immersive collaborative experience.

If you want to try out Visual Journaling, there is a 75-minute one-time experience () as a great introduction to the 4-week Identity Series ().

Explore more of Michael’s work at
View a short artist reel .

Info: Saints, Sinners & Surface (5-Hour Immersive)

Welcome + Entry
We begin by setting the tone, introducing the themes, and getting materials in motion.

Collaborative Abstract Series (Core Experience)
Participants create layered works through a guided collaboration process inspired by duality and the 7 Deadly Sins.
You’ll rotate, respond, and build on each other’s work—pushing beyond control and into instinct.

Break + Reset
Time to step away, reflect, and recharge.

Sensory Drawing Exercise
A hands-on drawing experience using touch instead of sight—shifting perception and deepening observation.

Rapid Creation Session
A fast-paced series of short works designed to eliminate overthinking and unlock creative flow.

Reflection + Closing
We step back, share, and connect the experience back to your own creative process.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Artist Michael Bell Studio & Workshops, 312 Cannon Street, Chestertown, United States

Concerts, fests, parties, meetups - all the happenings, one place.

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