“A series of tests in recent years has shown, Mr. Carr points out, that after spending time in quiet rural settings, subjects “exhibit greater attentiveness, stronger memory and generally improved cognition. Their brains become both calmer and sharper.” More than that, empathy, as well as deep thought, depends (as neuroscientists like Antonio Damasio have found) on neural processes that are “inherently slow.” The very ones our high-speed lives have little time for.”
This quote from a piece by Pico Iyer called THE JOY OF QUIET that appeared in The New York Times of December 29, 2011 is one of many ideas mentioned that support the underlying methodology of the Mill Road Studio. The program we offer is low tech and involves drawing and painting with long walks on stunning rural trails overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Reception for cell phones is poor and after a few days people just give up trying and are content with firing off a quick email to tell the kids that they have arrived safely and are fine.
We start with a three hour life drawing session in the studio and immediately the stresses and strains of the daily routine back home or at the office begin to fall away with the participant experiencing a heightened visual awareness as a reward. This visual awareness that develops, like muscle tone, over the first few days of drawing in the studio and in the landscape help the participant connect in a meaningful way with the surrounding beauty. Our idea being to lead people, through artistic practice, to a state of focus, of being in the moment and the psychic renewal that can come from being able to sustain this.
Visual art practice is the vehicle but the degree of a participant’s previous experience as a practitioner is not a significant factor in finding some inner peace. Doing the work has other rewards as well like the satisfaction of learning something new and the pleasure that can be had from making something tangible and concrete, like a relief print, a still life painting, or a drawing of the human figure that did not exist before and was, for so many, not even considered as something achievable.
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