Art Meditation is a revolutionary approach to art and to meditation, where Art, Zen, Yoga, Tao, Science, Art Therapy and Art come together to create a unique art and life experience. This book shares with others my own experience in meditating with art, and finding tranquility and eternal instants. As an artist, my Art Mission is to get closer to my human and spiritual existence, to be connected to the "infinite", to climb another step toward enlightenment, to find and be myself, and to share with others my experience. I put to work together philosophy, art techniques and proven sources of inspiration used by artists in history, and named it "Art Meditation". When applying this technique, I reach a higher level of creativity and mindfulness, and my creations are integrated to my whole existence. "Art Meditation" is the use of art techniques to reach a state of meditation empowered by philosophy and proven sources of inspiration. Chapter 1 and 2 provide the basic knowledge tools and materials needed for the meditations. Then I expose 14 art meditation sessions from Chapter 3 until Chapter 16. In each chapter I follow the creative cycle: "Meditate to make art and make art to meditate" "Art Meditation" contributes to Art Making and to Art Therapy. In "Art Meditation" the objective is to find a state of meditation using philosophy, art techniques and proven sources of inspiration. The process brings creativity and mindfulness, and enlighten the person to a higher level. In Art Making the objective is to communicate, make a point, or follow the artist's mission. Art Meditation helps the artist find a mission and a creativity flow. In Art Therapy, the objective is self knowledge, conflict solving and life stage understanding. Art Meditation provides art techniques and processes that facilitate a therapy session. Art Meditation contributes to anyone looking for a meaning in life, a fresh view, a new start, and a reinvention of life or business. Art Meditation is for anyone.
About the Author: Rita Rivas is a multidisciplinary professional with a combination of Civil Engineering, MBA in Finance, Fine Art and Art Therapy. She worked in structural engineering calculating buildings in her native Venezuela, then in development projects at the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank in Washington DC and in Central America, and belonged to the Board of Directors and different committees at the Museum of Art in El Salvador. Rita also developed a virtual art gallery with a web site as a platform to promote several artists and their works. Rita started painting more than 30 years ago. She attended art classes for ten years in Caracas, Venezuela, her native city. In her migration from Venezuela to the USA she spent seven years in Washington, DC working in international organizations for development projects, while also attending art classes at the Corcoran School of Art in the evenings. She then moved to Central America, and lived in Costa Rica, Guatemala and El Salvador, where she continued the development of her artistic career exhibiting in regional galleries and contests, while also working on international projects related to finance and infrastructure. She complemented her artistic training with art therapy and while teaching kids and adults in different workshops. She was part of the Board of Directors and of the Technical Committee of the Museum of Art in El Salvador, and a volunteer tour guide for the Museum. Rita's art reflects her life stages, migration, work, family and her own self knowledge. Art meditation is her engine, in the creative cycle of "make art to meditate and meditate to make art". Rita also taught art for kids and an "Art Meditation" class for adults, which she started while in Central America and continued in Key Biscayne, Florida, where she currently lives with her husband and her three kids. Her art work is in private collections in the US (Washington, DC and Miami), Venezuela and Central America. The main ideas about Art Meditation are in this book and in her website www.artzenses.com