Dr. Andrew Darian is an educator with a passion for learning and healing through the art of play, and he will offer a workshop “Playing with Color! Wet-on-wet Watercolor Painting” 12:30-2:30 p.m. Thursday, May 8 at Doing Grief Community Healing Project in Sun City.

No experience is necessary and all supplies will be provided.

“The wet-on-wet method of painting is easy to learn. It doesn’t allow for any pre-constructed ideas about how a painting will turn out,” Darian said, “The artist can freely express their inner feelings, emotions, and thoughts with no boundaries or restrictions.”

Darian learned about the educational benefits of art and play decades ago, as a student-teacher of Waldorf education, a methodology that utilizes the arts, movement-based learning and play to engage the whole learner.

“When I became a Waldorf educator,” Darian explained, “I realized that it isn’t just the young child who can benefit from artistic endeavors, we adults need the arts in our lives, too.”

Darian related that in his 35 years in the classroom, teaching all ages from kindergarten to university graduate students, he has seen how the arts can “release tension, calm the mind and offer a playful outlet to take our minds off of our grief and worries.”

In the spring of 2023, Darian co-founded Doing Grief Community Healing Project with his spouse, Shea Darian, who is a grief theorist and author of “Doing Grief in Real Life: A Soulful Guide to Navigate Loss, Death & Change.”

To RSVP for “Playing with Color! Wet-on-Wet Watercolor Painting” call Banner Olive Branch Senior Center at 623-465-6000, email Connect@DoingGrief.org or fill out the RSVP form at DoingGrief.org.

Shea Darian will also offer an information session 12:30-2 p.m. Tuesday, May 6, for those who are interested in joining a Healing Circle grief support small group of 4-6 participants who meet once a month over a series of 4-5 months. Call 602-419-4043.

Doing Grief Community Healing Project–Sun City is located at Banner Olive Branch Senior Center, 13049 N. 103rd Ave. A suggested donation of $5-10 can be given at DoingGrief.org or at the door. All are welcome regardless of an ability to donate.

Visit DoingGrief.org for more information.