Wabi-Sabi: The Japanese Approach to Design and Aesthetics
with Richard Martin
December 1 – 11, 2026
Course Description
This new online workshop with photographic artist Richard Martin is about looking at the everyday, the commonplace, and finding magic in the ordinary, unconventional, humble, rustic, imperfect, or decayed—a reminder that nothing in life, or design, is perfect. It is about appreciating the Japanese aesthetic concept of wabi-sabi, finding it, or seeing it in things that already exist in the visual world around us. This approach encourages one to develop an intuitive way of seeing that involves becoming aware of the moments that make life rich and paying attention to the simple pleasures that can be overshadowed by the chaos and excess of our consumerist society. In wabi-sabi, echoes of the past are combined with the quiet poetry of abandonment.
Richard examines a body of work characterized by various aesthetic concepts, incorporating unpretentious, understated simplicity, ambiguous, ordinary, and elegant imperfection. Over four online sessions, there are group discussions, assignments, and image reviews, utilizing some of these wabi-sabi qualities as themes to find beauty in everyday life. Document flowers past their prime, visit junkyards, explore the underside of sailboats during dry dock, torn posters, and alleyways. In nature, explore organic texture, pursuing an unhindered natural process.
The workshop is concerned primarily with an exchange of ideas, experiments, and investigations into the readiness to accept things as they are, resulting in new directions and concepts for the viewer. It aims to challenge the celebrated ideas of perfection and beauty and introduce new possibilities. It provides both aesthetic exploration of individual creativity and technical experimentation with a renewed method of working.
Additional Information
WHO SHOULD ATTEND:
What You Should Know:
Working knowledge of digital workflow and manual mode on your digital SLR or mirrorless camera.
Special Notes:
Class will meet 12:30 – 2:30 pm (Mountain Time) on Tuesdays and Fridays starting December 1 and ending December 11 (four online group sessions). Enrollment is limited to 12 participants.
Zoom Video Conferencing software (available for no charge from Zoom.com) will be used to facilitate the class sessions. Further details will be emailed to registrants.
These live online sessions take place in the standard Zoom meeting format. Students can use their microphone and camera, see and hear the instructor and other students, and participate in live discussion and interaction throughout the sessions.
Santa Fe Workshops always aims to produce a high-quality experience for our online attendees. That said, variables including regional and local internet provider speeds, traffic on Zoom's servers, and your own computing hardware can contribute to a less than ideal streaming event. While we do our best to minimize the impact of these variables, they are outside the control of Santa Fe Workshops.
Policies:
View Withdrawal and Transfer Policies for online programs.
Recording class sessions using personal devices or third-party tools is not permitted. Session recordings are provided by Santa Fe Workshops and are available to enrolled students for two months after the class. This policy helps protect the intellectual property and privacy of both instructors and students.
about
Richard Martin pursues photography as a medium of visual expression. His work combines an architectural love of geometry, pattern, and texture with a painter’s sensitivity to the creative art of implementing aesthetic. He is best known for his unique vision with a personal style characterized by a strong sense of composition, color, and the use of light. Richard was a long-time contributor to Photo Life magazine and currently to ELEMENTS magazine.
Website: richardmartinphoto.com
Instagram: @richard.martin.photo
