Painting with Spirit

One recent morning, I took my nature journal and art supplies out to our nearby park.  

The morning sun caught the spring foliage in an ancient maple tree, and I was struck by the beauty of backlit maple foliage against dark branches.  The new maple leaves were still golden green, and hadn't yet matured into the deeper sap green hues of summer. They vibrated with life to my artist's eye.

I am thrilled by high contrast scenes like this one.

That's the feeling I seek when painting or sketching.  I find the part of the larger scene that fascinates me, that draws me in & inspires me.  Sometimes it takes a little time walking around and looking, but once I find the inspiration, I sit down and start sketching.

I began with a Pentel India ink brush pen to sketch in the tree trunk and limbs.  After the ink was dry, I began laying in areas of color with a Sakura Koi watercolor set.

I ran out of time before I had finished my artwork, but luckily got a reference photo so I could finish at home.  Using the photo above, I added more details with Inktense colored pencils and Caran D'Ache Neocolor II watercolor crayons.

As I created, I thought about the painting philosophy that I have been reading in the book, Painting Water in Watercolor by Christian Wharton:

What we paint is life itself, ... it is ourselves we are painting. It is our spirit recognizing ourselves in the spirit of the object we are looking at.

Art is there to inspire by giving the essence of the subject, and it does this from the level of feeling.

Very few paint with the same degree of truth as Van Gogh. This quality of truth does not result from careful modelling, details, or brilliant alla prima technique. It is something that is more than the sum of the parts. And it is best to aim for that level of truth, without worrying too much about whether we can achieve it or not . It's just more rewarding and fun that way. Technique by itself is nothing without the feeling level.

 

The feeling of the painting or artwork is far more important to me than technical precision.  I am not a camera making an exact replica. I am an artist, a human being, expressing for other human beings how I see the world.  

I feel inspired by Christian Wharton's philosophy (and her technical instructions), and when I began working on this maple tree, I focused simply on the part of the scene that made me feel alive.

I think that's where the healing comes in with this type of art-making.  By tuning in to what really thrills me and makes me feel alive, I connect with my true self, while connecting with nature.  I relax into the bliss of creating, following what I see before me and trying to express it.

The artwork connects me to nature and to myself.

Art at the Beach

 

Over last weekend, David and I vacationed in Florida on a gorgeous natural beach.  The beauty of the dunes, the plants, and the wildlife inspired and relaxed me.  

Between dunks in the Atlantic Ocean, I sketched, snapped photos of nature, and painted.  I used the photos I took to create more pages in my travel journal after we had left the beach.  

Above is a painting I made of Sea Grapes while waiting for our flight home.  Here's my reference photo:

My travel art supplies fit into a makeup bag I bought at the Goodwill.

Less is more!

I find that having fewer supplies makes me more likely to draw and create, and that filling a 6"x 8" journal page is less daunting than a larger space. 

Why not give yourself the gift of a mini art vacation to sketch, relax and play with your art supplies?

Even if travel isn't in your plans, you can still set up a travel art kit.  Pick out a few of your favorite supplies and tuck them into a pocket, a pack or a zippered case, then visit someplace interesting to you.  It could be a coffee shop, a park or a greenhouse in your area.  

Any sketch, even one you see as imperfect, is far more interesting than a blank page.  

And every time you create, you build your skills & practice self care.

Create. You're worth it!

Canoe Painting

One of our favorite ways to spend a summer afternoon off is to rent a canoe from the nearby state park, and paddle up the small lake. The peace of nature, the calming influence of the water and the adventure of seeing the woods from the water put me in a happy mental space.  

Sometimes, I take my nature journal and watercolors, and paint quickly while David paddles me slowly up the lake.  Having very little time to complete a scene keeps me from getting precious with my artwork, and I like the result. 

Now that we're entering fall, I treasure this little watercolor sketch -- a taste of sunshine and warmth to return to in the coming winter.

Transatlantic Crossing Travel Journal: Dreams for the Future

Back to being a full-time landlubber, I find myself dreaming of visiting the UK again.  I love the friendliness and kindness of the British people, and the beauty of the countryside.  An artist I follow lives in Glastonbury, and speaks of climbing the hill to the Tor in her YouTube videos.  

I Googled Glastonbury and found photos of the town and the Tor to explore with my paintbrush.  My art practice extends my delight in traveling, even at home. 

I hope you'll get a chance to explore someplace you'd like to visit, even simply with your art supplies!

Transatlantic Crossing Travel Journal Part I: Arriving in England

This summer, my husband David and I did something we had dreamed of-- we booked a Transatlantic Crossing on Cunard's Queen Mary 2, the most romantic way to travel from England to the USA.

Before we left, I collected a small kit of art supplies: 12 Faber Castell colored pencils, Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens in black, Sakura Koi watercolors and waterbrushes, a mechanical pencil, eraser, pencil sharpener, & a little water mist sprayer. It all fit into a small zippered bag I could stow in my backpack. I worked in a Strathmore Watercolor Journal (140# cold press). I found that sketching simple scenes while waiting for a bus, or at the end of the day helped me to slow down, deepen my experience, and have a record to look back on.

  

We flew into London's Heathrow Airport, and took a bus south to Southampton, the port where we would embark on our ocean journey.

The landscape around Heathrow & along the motorway south of London showed signs of the recent heat wave and drought, with yellow, dead grass.  The fields along the roadway had recently been mown.

Our hotel room in Southampton looked right out onto the port and the cruise terminal.  Every morning,we would awake to new cruise ships docked in the port, often 4 ships at a time.

We could open our window (no screen as they had no mosquitoes or biting flies!) and let the cool sea air refresh our room.

It was lovely to have a few days to sketch gulls and recover from jet lag.

Sphinx Moth

 My good friend Brad Silberberg has been sharing nature photos with me. I found them so inspiring, I picked up a Sharpie fine marker, made a quick sketch of this Sphinx Moth, and then touched in watercolors.  

Giving myself an art break to create with no pressure is one of my favorite forms of self-care.  Just sitting down to my art space makes me instantly feel more relaxed and happy.  

I hope you get the opportunity to create in your favorite place just for the joy of creating!

2020 Nature Calendar is Done!

I just picked up the copies of my 2020 pen & ink nature calendar!  Hubby & I made it down our country roads and back just before the snow & ice storm swept into the area.

My intention from the start was to have a calendar that recipients could paint or color if they liked.  So I had the copies printed on white card stock.  The minute I got my calendars home, I broke out my paints and played a bit. 

Why does this make me so happy? 

Larch Cones

Larch trees are unusual for conifers in that they lose their needles every autumn just like maples and hickories do.  This time of year, the trees turn golden yellow, and glow in the late afternoon light.  I'm taken by the tree's needles -- so much softer than prickly evergreen needles -- and by their cones with the curling tips on their scales.  So many contours!

A good friend sent me a photo of these cones, and it inspired me to tape some watercolor paper to the kitchen counter and paint at the breakfast table.  While the background washes were wet, I sprinkled on salt for added texture.  Once the painting was dry, (& I brushed the salt away) I couldn't resist using Micron pens to pick out the details.

More Inktober Sketches

October has finally turned fall-ish with cerulean skies decked with feathery mare's tail clouds.  Crisp air, chilly nights and brilliant sunlight makes the colors seem that much brighter.

Bike Ride with a Painting Break

In celebration of Labor Day, I hopped on a bike with a pack of art supplies on my back and zipped down the Pan Handle Trail towards Bulger, PA.  Though the town name didn't sound promising, the expansive, rolling landscape was inspiring, and I stopped at the crest of a broad hill to paint.

A Prairie Painting Day

My friend, Brad, and I visited Jennings Environmental Center yesterday on a gorgeous, blue-sky day.  Brad took his camera, and I toted my sketchbook, and we captured images of the wild sunflowers, coreopsis, thistles and other wildflowers decking the landscape. Hummingbirds buzzed in and out of view, joined by Goldfinches and a multitude of butterflies.  I was so inspired by our visit yesterday, I had to return today to plop down in the prairie with my watercolors.  Here's the result.

A Shingle Oak at Jennings Prairie.

A Sketch-potition

 My sister-in-law Dianne, once gave me a little sketch book for "sketch-potitions," or expeditions whose sole purpose is art.  I had a summer afternoon to dedicate to hiking and sketching, so I filled a backpack with supplies and set out on a watercolor sketchpotition.  My feet carried me down the trail to this charming Adirondack shelter deep in the woods in our local state park where I painted the view from the shelter.

Nature Journaling

A 70 ℉ spring day gave me a chance to toss my watercolors and journal into a backpack and hike the state park with my oldest, Sarah.

We hiked down to the lake, and found where the road to the swimming beach was closed to vehicle traffic.  The entire berm of the road had washed into the lake, and with it went two mature trees.  While Sarah explored the area, I sat nearby the washout, and sketched the scene with Sakura pan watercolors.  I have the Koi Pocket Field Sketch Box of 24 colors, and they delight me to no end -- very portable, with bold, bright colors in just the right hues.

A view of the beach bath house and swimming area.  The trees on the far hill seemed painted with a fine rose-colored wash -- the red maple buds beginning to awaken to spring!