The Layered Landscape of Meditation: A Visual and Mindful Journey of Artful Inner Explorations
Creative Arts in Education and Therapy December 28, 2025 Krystal Demaine, Amelia R. Castelli
Creating mixed-media collages in response to meditations in natural outdoor environments can deepen self-understanding, vulnerability, and connection to nature. An arts-based research method was conducted in four phases: daily meditation in natural settings, documented by photography, sketches, and journals; then responding to those images with mixed-media art-making. Five collages were made from magazine clippings, tissue paper, pastel, acrylic paint, and pen on paper bags, vellum, and transparent Mylar. The layered, translucent collages are intended to bring viewers into a meditative state and prompt reflection on inner awareness and relationships to the natural environment.