Skip to main content

A great escape with watercolors


This summer I drew in watercolors during a quick trip out of the city with a fellow art therapy student and published poet Paula. She and I went out east toward the Colombia Gorge and observed the lay of land from a hill top at the Women’s Forum. This impromptu art happening gave me a fresh look making art out in the open, out in nature, away from the consumerism that can be the livelihood or bane of any artist. There we had time to take note of the timeless beauty intrinsic to this Pacific Northwest region. We found ourselves a sunny spot and were fortunate to meet members of the Portland Plein Air Society. They painted painterly landscapes in oils on French easels whilst Paula and I gave it a go with watercolors, sepia ink pens, and charcoal on scrap paper from a print exchange.



The paper is Arches watercolor paper and is 4.5” x 20”. A panoramic landscape seemed to be just right for these left over bits of paper. Armed with a big sunhat, a water bottle, and an anxiety free disposition I put my inner art critic aside a just had fun. There is something really calming that happens to me when I just allow myself to be present in nature it is a beautiful thing, try it!
Here is a link to where we went that fine day http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_164.php

Comments

Samual said…
Amazing paintings with wonderful colours.As with all landscaping design, I suggest that your backyard project begin with a question of necessity. What elements are necessary such as access, travel, walk ways, utilities, pets, walls, fences, etc

Popular posts from this blog

Much ado about holidays

What do the holidays mean to you? Are they just time day off of work, time with friends and family a chance to eat copious amounts of pie? For me it is a sacred moment on the calendar. A gold star if you will. Where you are awoken from the slumber of your daily routine and awaken into authentic self spending time with people doing the things that give you satisfaction. Hopefully you and your guests part with the nutrition, friendship, and gratitude for a time well spent. Like the saying goes, merry meet and merry part. It would be lovely if that rose tinted picture were true for everyone. However, I have seen and experienced the other end of the holiday spectrum. I end up rushing around; shopping crazy, there is a need to get it just right. I imagine you and the family would be perfectly fine just having a simple meal and watching a movie. Right? The stakes all the sudden seem to be higher when they are big commercialized holidays looming such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Chris...

Seashore blogs

Hello again friends, I have a new site which is providing a home for poetry and illustrations!! This blogspot site will continue to hold musings and art exhibit events and info. Please feel free to read my scribbles and ogle the drawings and why not start your own? Image of shell by me. Lovely thing about drawing shells and water you always get it right.  http://imagesfromthesea.net

Art card swap #2

I recently participated in my first art therapy-artist trading card swap. I was once again gently reminded by this activity of the awesome power of making spontaneous art. Truly art gives us what we need to survive emotionally and spiritually. Despite being a dedicated studio artist I feel that I’m often asleep to what I really need inside. Yet this simple and meaningful task reminded me of what I do best which is to create from within. Am happy with how my cards turned out and I am a bit surprised at how peaceful they look. The themes that emerged within my cards are those that seem to have stuck with me during my graduate training thus far which are keeping a drawing journal, breathing, listening, and observing. The guiding theme for the artist trading card swap was collage unleashed so I brought it back to some old school fun by scanning three dimensional objects ( including my face), collaged items, packing tape, text in black ball point pen, and of course some iridescent fabric...