June 25, 2026

Several folks asked me where I was going this week for Continuing Education. When I shared I was going to the Grunewald Guild, it was a joy to tell folks the three-legged stool of the Guild is Art-Faith-Community. Located in the Hamlet of Plain, Washington just north of Leavenworth, this community has been welcoming folks since 1980.

My first visit was the summer of 2011 when I dipped my toes into silk painting. I left after that first week knowing two things. I would be back AND I could not wait a year before painting silk again. Thus began the process of me setting up a “studio” in my home. My “studio” is an eight-foot table and shelving for the dyes and supplies plus wooden frames to hold the silk.​

It took an extra hour to arrive at the Guild on Sunday night. I was tired and hungry. Evening Vespers began in 10 minutes, so I made a bowl of food and sat in the Centrum as a large group of folks from around the world gathered. Someone is here from England, two instructors from Bloomington, Indiana and others live a few miles away. For this week, we become community, creating art and practicing our faith. My dear friend Lynn is my roommate. We have been painting silk together since my first visit. She is taking the songwriting class, and I am in the Contemplative Artists in Action.

There are six of us in my class and I am writing this article on Monday afternoon. My intent was to write on Sunday evening, however I was too tired to do anything other than settle in for the night. So the last-minute things are being accomplished this afternoon. At class this morning, we had technical difficulties and were unable to view the art of Sr. Corita Kent. We pivoted and began painting knowing we will view her art tomorrow. Seeing examples of how other people incorporate their creativity with their passion is one of the amazing experiences of being at the Guild.

Contemplative creativity in community is soul feeding for me. The best part of being here is allowing the creative process to flow through me. The conversations during class, at meals or reflections during morning and evening prayer are amazing.

The theme this summer is resonance. From the website: “Community, at its truest, is a resonant body. Each person brings their own frequency—their grief, their joy, their curiosity, their questions—and somehow, when held with care, these differences do not cancel one another out. They create harmony. Not uniformity, but consonance. A shared field where no one voice dominates, and no one is lost.”

As class was ending, I was curious how we might explore creativity at Our Savior’s. The quilters create the first and third Tuesday of each month. Last month a group of folks made greeting cards. Where else might we like to explore the arts? Who has gifts they would like to share? How might we expand our horizon and tap into the creative side that resides in each of us?