Rose Kohnke, MA, an artist for more than 50 years, shares her passion for making art at Sacred Space Studios. With a master’s degree in counseling psychology from Prescott College, she uses art as a tool to assist clients to bring about personal growth and desirable changes in their lives. They can expect to relax, have fun, learn new skills and experience the satisfaction of making something from nothing, such as when recycling art. Participants can reserve time in the studio to work on their own projects or participate in guided instruction.

Kohnke has learned that the final outcome is not always the most important part of the creative process, and sometimes when we least feel like making art is exactly the time to do it. “We must make time in our lives to tap into the creative skills with which we are all born,” she states. “There is no such thing as ‘I can’t.’ It is more a matter of ‘I don’t know how.’ But we can learn. The choices and decisions made during the process of artmaking can be metaphorically applied to how we manage our lives.”

Kohnke’s favorite technique is collage. “I use old magazines and cereal boxes to make tag art,” she says. “When I’m tearing out pages, I look for color, shape, scale and texture. A clump of mushrooms could end up as clouds, or the sleeve of a jacket might turn out to be a mountain in the finished project. From three magazine pages, I can create six tags and an affirmation card.”

She notes that collage is the perfect medium for looking at things in a different way, altering our perspective to obtain the desired result. “Combining collage with affirmations is a very powerful activity,” she explains. “Recycled cereal boxes become books and albums for the completed art. Instead of adding photographs, I put in my finished pieces.” Collage is a valuable technique for self-expression and can be learned quickly.

“The creative process is a vital ingredient to our well-being,” shares Kohnke. “Many art techniques simulate meditation and introspection. Art-making offers us the opportunity to see ourselves clearly; to discover what we want and why we want it. Our focused attention brings insights different from those that come from logic or science. Creativity nurtures the spirit.”

A variety of art supplies are available for clients to try new techniques such as art journaling, inking, bookmaking and more. Ongoing group classes are held from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. every Wednesday with different techniques. New clients are encouraged to attend Open Studio from 2 to 4 p.m. The morning class is repeated on Wednesday evening from 6 to 8:30 p.m. for those that cannot attend in the morning. Additional art workshops, classes and open studio time is scheduled individually.

Sacred Space Studio is located at 901 N. 13th Ave. For more information, call 520-245-7239, email [email protected] or visit Creatapy.wordpress.com.