Sacred Play

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about play.

Not the kind of play that fills a child's afternoon, but the kind that quietly disappears from our lives as adults.

Somewhere along the way, many of us stop playing. We get busy. We become responsible. We focus on productivity, outcomes, and getting things right. Before we know it, we've traded curiosity for certainty and wonder for efficiency.

I've been guilty of that myself.

As I've worked on a new series of paintings for this summer's Art-A-Fair, I keep finding myself drawn back to something simpler. A way of creating that is less about controlling the outcome and more about discovery.

A line leads to another line.

A color suggests another color.

A mistake becomes an opportunity.

Before long, the painting begins telling me where it wants to go.

That's where the idea for Sacred Play was born.

What if play isn't a waste of time?

What if it's actually one of the ways we grow, heal, learn, and connect?

What if it's sacred?

Many of the paintings in this series began the same way I often begin my work...with scribbles, layers of paint, hidden words, prayers, and marks that may never be seen by anyone else.

I rarely know exactly where a painting is headed when I start. In fact, some of my favorite paintings have emerged from what initially looked like a mess.

Life can be like that too.

The faces, patterns, colors, and playful elements in this collection all reflect that spirit of exploration. They remind me that creativity isn't about perfection. It's about showing up, paying attention, and being willing to discover something unexpected.

This summer I'll also be teaching workshops at Laguna Art-A-Fair, and I realize they're really about the same thing.

Yes, we'll make art.

But more importantly, we'll practice letting go of fear, embracing curiosity, and giving ourselves permission to create.

Permission to play.

I think we need more of that.

The older I get, the more convinced I am that some of life's most meaningful discoveries happen when we stop striving so hard and simply become willing to explore.

That's what Sacred Play means to me.

I hope you'll stop by my booth this summer, spend some time with the collection, and maybe even rediscover a little of that playful spirit in yourself.

Viviana

I'll be exhibiting and teaching workshops throughout the summer at Laguna Art-A-Fair in Laguna Beach, California.

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