Karla Leopold | Art Cleanses the Soul: A Creative Path to Joy, Imagination, Exploration & Healing

Dates: May 14-17, 2026

Workshop: Art Cleanses the Soul: A Creative Path to Joy, Imagination, Exploration & Healing

Instructor: Karla Leopold

Days: 4

Hours: 9:30am-4:30pm

Level: All Levels

Tuition: $850

Educator/Counselor Tuition: $722.50 with valid ID (15% off)

Includes: Complimentary coffee and lunches daily in studio

The New York Times recognized her work as groundbreaking—now Karla Leopold brings her wisdom, skills, and experience to PaintSpace NOLA This 4-day workshop uses creativity and art processes as tools for healing, connecting, and enhancing joy.

Karla belives that creativity isn’t reserved for a select few. It’s a birthright. When we give ourselves permission to explore it, we uncover parts of ourselves that long to be seen and expressed.

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"Karla has a depth of knowledge in art and a soulful connection to creativity. She also creates a loving, safe space for learning. I highly recommend Karla for teaching." -John B.

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"Karla is a gift beyond words and an inspiration! She guided me to tap into my creative side. " -Sheila S.

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"Working with Karla changed my life." -Laurie T.

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"Karla re-connected me to a part of myself I had lost connection with temporarily. There was ease and freedom but also guidance and accessibility." -Kera V.H.

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"Although her art is strikingly original, and her skill as an art therapist is widely acknowledged, Leopold is still surprised when her art receives major recognition and accolades." -Idyllwild Town Crier

What to Expect

Enter a creative sanctuary where your imagination, joy, and heartfelt expression can come alive. Over four gentle, soulful days together, we will sit with paint and materials as companions — not to perform or produce perfection, but to feel, discover, and be moved by what wants to emerge from within you.

This experience is for everyone… whether you’ve touched a brush once or every day. We’ll make a safe, open space where you can explore your personal stories, honor your emotions, and discover art as a way of connecting more deeply to yourself and to others.

We begin with grounding, gentle practices to help your creative voice find its way into color and shape. As the days unfold, we’ll play with mark-making, collage, and expressive processes that open the heart and enliven the imagination. There will be times of quiet creation, moments of reflection, and opportunities to share with others if you choose.

By the end, you’ll leave with original artwork that tells part of your story, tools you can return to again and again, and a renewed sense of the power of art to bring healing, connection, and joy.

Come as you are. You don’t need “skill.” Just curiosity, courage, and a willingness to begin again.

Workshop Goals

• Provide a safe and creative environment for participants to explore personal stories and emotions through art

• Introduce art as a tool for self-expression, resilience, enhanced well-being and community connection

• Encourage reflection and dialogue that leads to personal healing, happiness and growth

• Leave with original artwork, tools for ongoing reflection, and a stronger sense of the power of art!

Structure

Day 1 – Awakening Creativity

• Introductions, grounding exercises, and first expressive art activity

• Focus: building trust, opening space for personal voice

Day 2 – Deepening the Journey

• Guided art processes exploring themes of resilience, happiness and memory

• Unleashing the power of color, mark-making, and collage to explore the self

• Small group sharing and reflective writing

Day 3 – Integration & Sharing

• Collaborative art-making in small groups

• Introduction of assemblage using found objects

Day 4 – Closure: Focus on creating a sense of community, closure, and takeaway practices

• Finish uncompleted tasks

• Create a book with the collection of your created art, insights, and take away tools.

• Create a large community mural to include art contributed from fellow artists

Instructor Website

karlaleopold.com

Karla Leopold | Artist · Educator · Art Therapist · Art Psychotherapist

Bio

Karla Leopold, LMFT, is an artist, psychotherapist, and licensed marriage and family therapist with over forty years of experience.

Karla uses art as a tool for healing, and her work appears internationally. She has been involved in responding to natural disasters, working at hospitals and schools, as well as developing a private practice, and consulting with others about the healing power of art.

“Creating art can be a cathartic and transformative experience for many, regardless of age. It’s a beautiful way to tap into the subconscious and discover hidden aspects of oneself, providing solace and enjoyment while giving life to something unique.” -Karla

Karla’s award-winning art is exhibited internationally and archived in the Smithsonian Institute, the Guggenheim Museum, the Museum of Fine Art, and other institutions.