I’m teaching and hosting a special workshop for one afternoon in the lush, quaint, and historical Nathan Homestead Art Centre in August 2021.

We are all born to be an artist in our own way. Just like no two snowflakes are the same, no two finger prints are the same, each one of us has a one of the kind unique creative DNA. But all too often, we hide our unique expression, for fear that it is not good enough or not fitting into some standard. When we don't celebrate and honour our unique expression, we slowly lose our passion and creative sparks. And the world is missing out on the treasure and gifts we can share with others.

[Make Your Mark] is a creative workshop designed for artists and non-artists alike. The intention is to use Abstract Painting as a way to invite each person to make our mark. It's both literal and metaphorical. When we use a tool to make a mark on the canvas, we are affirming and honouring our voices and expression. It is designed for anyone who feels he or she wants to take a moment in life and connect with their deeper heart desires — they may have a song to sing, a poem to write, some colours to splash, a dance to swirl or a message to deliver. It is for anyone who feels there is so much treasure inside of them but they need some new tools to explore or unstuck or play.

In this workshop, we are going to tap into the spirit of play, to relive childhood, to have the freedom to draw and paint without the pressure to create something perfect or to impress others, but instead, we are focusing on discovering our uniqueness, our DNA, our point of view. We are not interested in the right way or wrong way or anybody’s way, we are interested in our own expression, our likes, our feelings, our colours, our dance beats.

We will explore abstract painting techniques to connect with our inner genius, our wonder child who was born to be an artist and is curious of this world, is awed by the beauty, and can’t wait to splash some colours or make some mess. You will be guided to observe simple objects, to activate your right brain, to paint loose, to listen to your creative urge, to honour your feelings, to engage in the creative flow, to embrace your personal brushworks, and break off perfectionism and inner critic that hinder you from expressing freely and boldly. 

The tools and mindsets we learn in this workshop can be brought back to our daily living and work, empowering us to step up in bold action to pursue and fulfil our passion and dreams.

親愛的華人朋友們，Luminari邀請你在8月21日下午參加由導演/畫家Noel Yang帶領的一個獨特的創意工作坊MAKE YOUR MARK，這次是專門為居住在奧克蘭的華人朋友們預備的！我們將一起來玩抽象繪畫！也許你多年沒有動過畫筆，也許你從未想成為一名藝術家，抽象畫可能離你很遙遠，但你知道嗎，每一個人的筆觸都是獨一無二的，在畫布上恣意揮灑也是在人生畫布上熱情展現的象徵！Noel 將一步步引領，帶你發現原來抽象繪畫這麼有趣好玩，是抒發和表達自我最直接的管道，它可以開發創意，探索個人獨特性，使我們更大膽自由地活出真我！