Meriel Gold

Meriel Gold (Hoare) has been painting and drawing all her life. She studied at the Slade School of Art in London, with Oscar Kokoshka in his School of Seeing in Salzburg and with Cecil Collins.

An invitation to be natural, truthful and free

What is being offered here is an opportunity to recognise the ground of our Being, as felt, and particularly in this instance, through movement, seeing and life drawing. Those who accept the invitation will find a safe and fun way of inspecting the hidden fears, which can hold us back from living fully.

Using hands, water, clay and ink, bamboo reeds, goose quills, brush and chalk, we begin by exploring the nature of the materials; for instance the exquisite lightness of a quill, the robust strength of a reed and the many qualities of water; translucence, fluidity, carrying. And as we explore these qualities, they reflect back to us the myriad ways they are played out in the theatre of our own lives.

We work from live models who move to music, responding to its infinitely changing forms and nuances and hold poses that palpably magnify Presence. In this way the form carries the fragrance of the formless, which in turn reflects the formlessness of Being, at the heart of our Self.

Exploring the nature of experience without relying on rationalising tendencies or fixed ideas, we create a space in which it is possible to discover the natural wisdom of the body and use the medium of drawing to unfold the simple perception of ‘what is’ into our daily lives. Having relaxed the struggle to conform to pre-conceived beliefs, we learn to rest, with awareness, in an abiding sense of Being.

We find the “stop” as our brush or hand touches the canvas or paper, like a kind of rest. It seems in this pause or rest that we are, as it were, drawn home into the quietness of ourself, which is what we are all really yearning for, and which infact, is always here, just waiting to be noticed.