There are always select people in our lives who inspire us to live authentically. To nurture parts of our creative identity and develop parts of who we are. Carving avenues with the tools they give us for the long haul. Consequently, whether it be by chance or by design, we take so much away from the mentors in our lives.
Watershed School in Boulder, Colorado, has fostered so many progressive minds within its walls. Giving its students so many opportunities to learn in unconventional ways while fostering a deeper connection to their community. Sasha Weiner is one of those minds who has not only made the most of her time but also created lifelong friendships and mentorships along the way. Weiner has enjoyed art for as long as she can remember.
When I spoke with Sasha about her connection to making her own work, she informed me that a majority of her initial experience was more based in drawing and watercolor.
“I’ve never been a painter and had never really painted before last year. I had always been more of a pencil and paper kind of artist, so when I took an acrylic painting class, it was something very new, and during that class, we toured my current mentor Jean Pless's art-making space at Studio 6595," says Weiner.
From then on, the experience opened a lot of doors. That tour not only introduced her to oil painting and abstraction in art, but also to Jean, whose work is typically larger-scale oil paintings. “We kind of hit it off right away once we started chatting. She saw me as an artist almost immediately.”
After their first meeting, Weiner was able to reach out and shortly thereafter begin a mentorship with Pless. “Her work was eye-opening. It was so interesting to see how she breaks apart a natural landscape. Every time I’m with her, she shares something different with me.”
From sharing homemade meals and tea to listening to classical music as they work, Weiner has been able to observe how fiercely independent Pless is in her everyday life—telling her to be unafraid of “ruining a painting,” and to not hold yourself back from trying out an idea. “In my first few paintings, it felt like I was more designing, rather than just painting. It felt good to have somebody telling you to see where the painting will take you.”
Spending this time together has shown up in so many ways for Weiner, whether it be in school or in a more individual manner. Life lessons as much as artistic ones have been shared in such a short period of time. “She has taught me to be more intuitive and firm in my decision-making. Learning to paint through emotion and memory itself has taught me to trust myself and look at things with fresh eyes.”
Being a high school senior, coming into her last semester, there has been some tenderness in what things will look like after the mentorship finishes up. So much so that her senior project was a light-soaked short film. The five-minute interval showcases Pless in “all her greatness.” Small pockets of moments where she reminisces about her life, her process, and what makes her feel unstuck when creating. A quiet bond and loud friendship nurturing itself in Studio 6595.
“We really connect on so many things. I’m actually so sad that I didn’t find her sooner, just so we could spend some more time together. I’ve had so much fun.” No matter how far Sasha goes, her and Jean’s friendship has shown how lucky we are to have such briefly wonderful experiences, with people who teach us so much about ourselves.