Painting the Sacred Within: Art Techniques to Express Your Authentic Inner Voice

Although I have an extended art library and hesitated to order yet another art book, I looked inside this book to sample it. It immediately satisfied my interest for different and unique methods and techniques on connecting with deeper levels of the creative self. Due to so many hardbound art books and lack of more space, I ordered the Kindle version but would have preferred the hardbound edition.

Painting the Sacred Within is a jewel of a book that is a complete resource for anyone needing fresh inspiration to complement their creative process. Faith Evans-Sills and Mati McDonough help you explore the possibilities and provide inspirational approaches to beginning your creative journey.From setting up your painting space, to developing your personal color palette, to establishing a daily practice of seeing and exploring your world, this book covers all of this and more!Each lesson includes a supply list, step by step instructions and gorgeous full color photos of each technique. The exercises are helpful, clear, and concise, and designed to help you create beautiful art in your own unique way though experimenting with abstract techniques.Along with the lessons, they’ve also included inspirational artist experiences with exercises to help you explore your environment with fresh eyes. Other artists featured will help you create a personal alter and set intentions for yourself. The book also showcases work from the students in Faith and Mati’s e-courses to show lovely examples of how these techniques look when interpreted by other artists.Learn how to infuse your painting with both delicate subtlety and dominant elements and colors and how to express your unique feelings onto the canvas. Mati and Faith discuss how to sustain your creative self and awaken your creativity, even when you are feeling stuck from the stress of life.One of my favorite exercises in the book is the “Using Prompts for Abstract Mark Making” section. They’ve provided a page full of fun prompts that you can copy and cut up and place in a pretty bowl. Then, you can either create an entire canvas using this technique, or you can reach into the bowl and pull out a prompt when you feel like you need to take your art in a fresh direction. My husband, Phil, has never worked on a canvas or creatively painted with acrylic paint in his life but by using the prompts during an afternoon painting session together, he created an original painting. From my hard core, heavy metal loving, drum playing, rocker husband came a painting with thoughtful strokes, beautiful color and unique marks.From watercolor to collage to acrylic paint, this book contains an abundance of techniques and lessons to inspire and encourage any painter to explore new approaches to abstract painting. No matter where you are in your creative journey, this book is perfect for both beginners as well as experienced artists.

For an absolute beginner who has no idea how to do anything with paint, it is great. It's somewhat of a basic book, and I don't think a seasoned painter would find it overly useful but for me it's fantastic. I have so far created 4 artworks that I wouldn't have otherwise been able to do without the demo's in this book and I have found it to be very enjoyable. I like that they have written about their philosophy in terms of creating art, it helps in the creation process when you are doing the demo's. The only pain is you need a wide array of art supplies to do some of the demo's fully/properly.For anyone who is new to this kind of art, I'd definitely recommend it.

I bought this book mostly because I liked the picture on the cover (yeah yeah..don't judge a book by it's cover....whatever) and I do think it's the most beautiful project in the book, that said - it's a pretty descent book. The techniques aren't particularly ground breaking, but the authors have a very good use of color that I find inspiring. I also like all of the layering they do in their projects. Worth buying

Strictly a retiree's fun-relaxation purchase. Full of inspiration and color my soul needs.The projects are all such that I think even a beginner might undertake, but they're rich, and all something I will actually do! So many books are fluff and a bunch of pictures of other artists' work. THis one is absolutely 144 pages of workshop, techniques, and "you can do this" impetus. Sooooooo happy I got it. Thank you!

I adore this book. It is a rare combination of books -- both a delight for the eye as well as the creative spirit. I love the visual bounty of this book -- just flipping through the pages and taking in Faith and Mati's gorgeous photos, artwork and colors lifts my spirits and makes me feel more connected to the sacred, hopeful parts of myself. The demos and instructions are also beautifully written, practical and fun! I can't wait to dive into abstract painting with abandon and joy with these two teachers as my guides.

As a student of Faith and Mati's Painting the Sacred Within year long eCourse, I have to say this book does such a great job of capturing so much of what we learned and experienced throughout our year long journey. I literally read the book from cover to cover and loved every part of it!! The photography is gorgeous and the step-by-step tutorials are easy to follow and awesome! If you're looking for an amazing painting book to add to your collection, this is it!! It's so beautiful and so full of inspiration!!

I love this book! It is full of beautiful images and helpful step-by-step photos to explain each project, technique or creative process. The projects are fun and great for beginners to advanced artists. I'm inspired by each project and I love that there are also student examples throughout the book as well, showing a variety of interpretations of each project. I've really enjoyed diving into this book and each time I try a new technique, I can feel myself growing creatively! :) Thank you Faith and Mati!

expensive

Achei um livro muito lindo e inspirador para quem trabalha com arte abstrata.

The beginning of a new creative path in my life. I bought this book to start painting and I'm drawn into abstracts that also have some symbols. To painting as a form of therapy. And since I can't allocate funds right now to attend one of their workshop this is the next best thing.All what it took for me to have a beautiful and unique painting hanging(soon) in my living room was an old canvas from a charity shop and an inexpensive box of acrylics.The best part of the book is the prompts you cut and use randomly to generate new techniques.Highly recommend it!!!!

Going from an art background it was almost sacrilegious to use pens to touch up tiny areas, or use a stencil, etc. but the heavenly thing about mixed media you can do anything and everything you feel comfortable with, It's just a wonderful feeling,

Nice book with good ideas. Like the Zen stuff 🧘🏼‍♀️