Tag: nature

Clearing the Channel

Once a creative block is recognized, a few simple steps may be all it takes to get the creative flow moving again.

Creative blocks can strike fear in the heart of many artists. It feels like a desperate situation that will never go away. “What if the creative spark is gone forever?” is the constant refrain in the brain. The frustration builds and builds. It’s like rocks in a stream. Enough rocks and the stream becomes a pond. As the rocks build and build, the stream gets smaller and smaller until eventually nothing gets through. After a while, scum builds up on the surface. How can you break that dam and get the water of creativity flowing again?

One way to breaking the dam according to Freedom.to is to, “step away from the project and take time to clear your mind before you come back with fresh eyes and new ideas.” A little time out in Nature may be just the ticket. Check out the butterflies that are loving the rocks in your stream. Let the breeze blow through your hair. Check out the clouds in the sky. Give your eyes something beautiful to look at for a bit. Take some deep breaths of fresh air.

Another way to break the channel may be to focus your energy in a different way. Ward Andrews for Design.org says, “Take on a simple, fun project that you can do well and quickly.” For me, that’s drawing flowers and birds with an ink pen. Why an ink pen? Because I don’t want to concentrate so hard that I have to use an eraser. Thinking about lines and shapes without color to interfere seems to do the trick for me. I grab a piece of copy paper out of the printer and draw. Just mindlessly draw. Before long, a trickle of creativity starts to flow.

Not letting a block move into scary territory takes some work but it doesn’t have to be difficult work. Recognizing a block for what it is and realizing it is a temporary situation gets halfway through blasting the block. Keeping the panic from taking over simply requires acknowledging that there is an issue. Once you can name a block for what it is, it’s not nearly so big and mean as you first thought. In the midst of despair, look up and look out. Check for butterflies. Dig up an ink pen. Go for a walk. All kinds of new things can pop up once you get your mind off the rocks that are impeding your stream. Fun things could happen!

Some artists think a block is not at all a bad thing. Ashley Goldberg is quoted in Openup.com as saying, “I think some of the biggest bursts of creativity and artistic growth I’ve had are usually preceded by a big creative block.” When sitting in the middle of a block, it doesn’t feel at all like it will ever remotely be a good thing. Having the courage to stay on the journey and do whatever it takes to blast the blocks away may be one of those life-changing moments. As you continue pushing on, you may just begin to hear the sound of trickling water.

Before long that trickle will grow stronger and eventually you’ll have ideas bubbling up like crazy. That’s when you look back and say, “Why was I so worried?” as you race off to capture all those fresh new ideas, as the trickle becomes a stream, then a river.

Distracting the Distractions

Ideas to distract from distractions to painting can be hard to come by but here are a few possibilities.

In our crazy world today, distractions keeping us from our art making come at us from all sides, physical and digital. Distractions come in all shapes, colors and forms.  Its a daily battle.  What’s an artist to do to stay on track? This is my daily battle. Its not an easy one. For those who have no trouble shutting themselves off for studio time, I aspire to be more like you. Searching for answers from other artists, I came up with a few possibilities.

Belinda Delpesco has several good suggestions. Number 3 on her list is, “Make a date night with your art supplies. Ink in the time on the calendar, plan your pursuit for that slot, make some art, and then write down what you liked about it.” This, to me, is a great idea.  Its harder to give in to distractions when you have planned your time.  The drive is stronger when you are looking at your calendar and it is staring back at you.

In an article for Light Space Time Art Gallery, Carolyn Edlund speaks of the problem of “People Pleasing.”  This can be particularly difficult if you have a family at home or young children. Some of us have a difficult time saying, “No.” Edlund describes people pleasing as, “wanting to make everyone around you happy by doing whatever is asked of you.” Saying no may be easier if you have something specific planned.

My favorite suggestion comes from Vicky Rubin for Skinny Artist. Rubin’s suggestion is “a change of scenery can help you focus.” The article goes on to say, “Taking a walk or a workout is a healthy and inspiring distraction.”  Being Mindful is another recommendation, “enjoy and experience sensations of smell, feel, and touch.” Healthy and inspiring all at once.

All three of these articles articulate why I began putting together the artist’s retreats.  The retreat forces people to make a date on the calendar for the retreat, For one week end, people pleasing comes to a halt. Lastly, and more importantly, the change of scenery connects to nature, with all the sights, sounds, and smells of growing things.Taking a break from the hustle and bustle of daily life may be just what is needed to give your art a new kickstart. I always try to bring back, a leaf, a twig, a pine cone, an acorn or some other artifact to remind me of the sensations of being in nature. Sometimes just looking at that tiny bit of nature is enough to get inspiration flowing.

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Bird Loving

Birds are special. There is something about birds that fascinates and inspires our curiosity. Songs from birds in the trees can spur the urge to stop a few minutes to listen to the happy sounds. The sight of an unusual or uniquely marked bird brings up the birding app on the phone or google for identification. You don’t have to be a bird enthusiast to enjoy moments of pleasure from a bird encounter.

There are names of various levels of bird enthusiasts. Wiktionary says a person who loves birds is an ornithophile. Thayer Birding says there are different types of people who watch birds. An Ornithologist is a studier of birds and likely has a professional degree in biology. Clinton Atkins for Thayer Birding, describes the rest of the bird watching types as:

  • Twitchers
  • Birders
  • Listers
  • Dudes
  • Protobirders
Bluebird

From this list, my shortened description is that Twitchers are knowledgable bird chasers, while Birders are people who simply love watching birds as a hobby. A lister does exactly that, make extensive lists of birds from birdwatching. A dude just likes to watch birds but doesn’t go out of the way to watch. The newest term, Protobirders, is someone who enjoys watching birds and may have some bird knowledge.

After studying the list, I’m puzzled as to whether I am a Birder or a Protobirder. I love watching birds. I take a lot of bird photos. And I paint cute little birds. Definitely not a Twitcher, as I don’t chase them. Probably not a lister, but I count my photos as a list of sorts. I think I’ll go with the Wiktionary description of ornithophile. I am a lover of birds.

If I did decide to become more of a bird watcher, like maybe a twitcher, Clinton Atkins has a great list of items that are helpful to have on hand:

  • Birding Vest
  • Brimmed Hat
  • Bird Song App
  • Birdwatching Journal

Several years ago, I went on a couple of Bird Watching tours at the Saint Marks Wildlife Refuge in Florida. Most of the people on the trip could probably be classified as either Twitchers and/or Listers All of them had the above listed important items. I had only camera and binoculars. I definitely could have used all of the things on the list. The group was wonderful to me and were enthusiastic about pointing out various birds and letting me look through their telescopes. If some were a little condescending about my novice status, the others made up for it with their joy in sharing their knowledge. I came out of the adventure with many lovely photos, a whole lot of knowledge and a terrible sunburn, (no brimmed hat).

Roseate Spoonbills at St. Marks

Jeff Mann of Because Birds says, “Nature has a way of surprising us, and birding is no exception.” That pretty much sums it up. Birds are a constant surprise so I’ll go on painting them, casually watching them and taking the occasional birding tour. With that, I’ll refrain from typing myself and just say, I love birds!

Summer Wonders

As summer heat slows everything down, 2 beauties begin to proliferate, flowers and butterflies. So many things are wilting in the heat but Black-eyed Susans are taking over the flower beds. The lantana also seems to love the heat. There among the flowers are where the butterflies are too.

Tiger Swallowtail

Former First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson is quoted as saying, “Where flowers bloom there is hope.” Letterpress Play says, “They represent joy and growth, and they bring color and wonderment to everything they touch.” Letterpress Play has a paper toy and greeting card that turns into a vase with paper flowers. 15% of proceeds they give to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. When things continue to heat up through July and into August, the flowers do give us hope.

As the butterflies flutter all around, they remind us of the cycles of life. While they are flitting around they are laying eggs so the next generation can begin the process of overeating to building a cocoon to transforming into a beautiful butterfly to giving joy. In a post about butterflies, Everyday Power. com tells us, “We can learn a lot of lessons about our own growth process from the butterfly life cycle.” That is so true.

Monarch

As the summer heat drags on limiting many outdoor activities, it’s an easy thing to look out the window and marvel at the butterflies among the black-eyed Susans. It’s also a great time to paint flowers and butterflies. Not a bad idea to contemplate the cycles of life while painting the summer beauties either. And maybe wonder with hope for fall and the next cycle of life.

An Art and Nature Tonic

An artist’s retreat in the beauty of nature is better than a tonic for refreshing the soul and creating new inspiration.

The first artists retreat, The Art of Nature Immersion Weekend, was a wonderful and refreshing time spent in beautiful surroundings with fellow artists and some family and friends too. Reelfoot Lake State Park and Reelfoot Federal Wildlife Reserve were packed with inspiration at every turn. The most important factor was the time spent in gearing down and taking it all in. It was better than any man-made tonic!

Humans in Nature.org says. “The combination of art and nature allows people to explore the natural world, create more profound meaning for themselves, and connect people through understanding and viewing their artwork.” I couldn’t agree more. There is just something about being out in nature that inspires in so many ways and brings us humans closer together.

Somehow creating art out in nature rather than in the studio changes everything. It seems to make everything more vivid, more real. More inspiring. Our whole approach to art can change when spending time in nature. Nature becomes the art in all its myriad of possibilities. Art-is-Fun.com says, “The exploration of nature in art can take endless forms, because nature provides us with such a vast wealth of inspiring phenomena.”

Seeing what we did on our Art in Nature Retreat speaks for itself. The following are photos from our time at Reelfoot Lake State Park in West Tennessee and Reelfoot National Wildlife Refuge. Our pontoon boat captain and guide, Colton, a recent graduate of Murray State University, shared a wealth of knowledge. He pointed out trees, birdsong, all manner of aquatic life and even a water snake (yuck!) sunning himself on a fallen log.

Enjoy the photos as they tell the story better than I can.

Hummingbird Hope

A Flash of color, a bright jewel in the summer sun, hummingbirds whisking by on the way to taste a bit of nectar remind us of hope and joy as summer has arrived.

A flash of color, a bright jewel in the summer sun, hummingbirds whisking by on the way to taste a bit of nectar.  These tiny little sparkles with swiftly flapping wings move so fast, all the eye can catch are bits of emerald, ruby, or sapphire as they stop for a second, then fly off again.  But that little second or two is enough to capture our fascination.

Emily Hannemann for Birds and Blooms magazine says hummingbirds are a sign of hope and good luck.  Maybe that is why we love these special little birds. Tammy Popple of On The Feeder says these tiny beauties are symbols of lightness and joy. Hope and good luck, lightness and joy, both descriptions make for great reasons Hummingbirds are so loved.

Hummingbirds are one of my favorite birds to paint.  I love it when I see the first one of the season show up at the feeder.  They are my sign that winter is over. The lightness, joy and hope of summer are on the way.

A Joyful Jumble

What’s your favorite garden style? Peaceful Symmetry or a Joyful Jumble? Either way, Nature is healing.

Whether you go for a garden with planned space or naturalized plantings, experts agree, time with nature has many benefits. The benefits are so great that mental health professionals call it eco-therapy. The blog, EcoTherapy Heals is devoted to ways to take advantage of the healing power of nature. In a blog post, Self Care Seeker says, there are 5 Important Ways Nature and Mental Health are Connected. Goodnet.com has a post describing 10 Unexpected Benefits of Spending Time in Nature. It appears that the verdict is certain. All that’s left is to determine how you get your fill of time in nature.

Gardens are a wonderful way to get more nature into our lives. The blog, Love for Gardens says, “The presence of gardens in our lives can improve our lifestyle, and brighten our daily, modern world that is often obscured by buildings and artificial, man-made structures.” The first thing to do is to decide what style of garden you like and find one. Or build your own.

There are two types of gardens. One is the precisely drawn architectural garden, where everything is in its place, balanced and carefully manicured. The second type is a wild array of flowers, trees and various plants tumbling all over each other and outside of any boundary. Depending on mood, day or whatever is going on, one garden may be preferred over the other. Most sources say it’s the time in nature that’s important.

Cheekwood Gardens and Museum, Nashville, TN

Some days order is needed to counter the crazy chaos swirling around in every day life. A well-designed garden is the perfect place to get relief from the stress. One beautiful example of this type of garden is Cantigny Park in Wheaton, Illinois, recently updated and redesigned by leading landscape design firm, Sasaki. If you are in the Wheaton, IL area and in need of some soul rejuvenation, check out this park. Pausing to take a deep breath in a well ordered space full of beautiful growing things can do wonders for peace of mind.

Botanical Garden of the Ozarks, Fayetteville, AR

My preferred type of garden is the kind that looks like everything is all growing together with color spilling out everywhere. Attracted by the color, butterflies are flitting around in happy circles from flower to flower. The bees, not to be outdone by the butterflies, jump in on the act too. The result is a kaleidoscope of color and movement. I can sit for hours and just watch the bees and butterflies as a gentle breeze drifting through the flowers gives them the effect of dancers on a stage. My heart lifts just thinking about the array of beauty. A Joyful Jumble is what I call this myriad of color and energy. Joy is popping out all over!

Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area, Golden Pond, KY

An Elegant Iris

The elegant simplicity of a white iris provides powerful artistic inspiration.

What could be more refined than the simple elegance of a white iris? The sparkles of morning dew resemble ice crystals on the pure white of newly fallen snow. The ruffles of the petals and falls are as velvety and flowing as a spinning dancer’s dress. The fragrance is more glorious than expensive perfume. It may be difficult to capture all that with paint, but I will try. So will others. It’s a subject that a painter cannot resist. Why do we do it? Because we must. The inspiration sits there screaming to be painted.

Since my iris was a gift, I am not sure of the variety. Susanne Holland Spicker writing for the blog of “The American Iris Society” describes a variety of white iris she grew up with called, “Skating Party”. She describes “Skating Party” as one of the first to bloom. My white iris is the first in my garden and far ahead of the others which don’t even have buds yet. Sticker also says “Skating Party” has “pure white falls and lavish ruffles” as well as a beautiful aroma. That would seem to describe mine.

pencil on paper

GardeningKnowHow lists a variety of white iris called “Immortality” as highly fragrant, with pure white, large ruffled petals. Hmmm.. “Immortality” would also appear to be my variety. GardeningKnowHow goes on to say that “Immortality” often re-blooms in the fall. I may have to wait until fall to know if I have “Skating Party” or “Immortality” in my garden and future painting but that won’t change the current artistic plans.

Susanne Spicker, in her blog post, states, “I’ve heard it said that there is nothing more beautiful than a simple white flower.” Right now, I can’t think of anything more beautiful either. Apparently, White Iris Dress concurred as they named their shop of beautiful formal dresses in Chicago for this lovely flower. Does it really matter which variety I have to be worthy of painting? Absolutely not. As artists, we paint what inspires us. Inspiration has struck with this elegant iris. Therefore, paint I must!

Fascinating Ancient Flower

Though frequently mistaken, the Lotus Flower and the Water Lily are not the same flower or even in the same family.

The Lotus flower and the Water Lily have always been mistaken for the same flower, but they are not even in the same family. The yonkipin flower is a beautiful sight to see at Reelfoot Lake during the summer months. My grandmother and great aunt would always look forward to seeing them in bloom. I’ve recently researched this flower and it’s origins, and found it to be quite fascinating.

I learned that Yonkipin is a variety of Lotus flower, and that Lotus flowers and waterlilies are not the same plant. Lotus flowers have deep spiritual significance for several cultures. Lotus blooms rise above the water and are rooted in the mud. Waterlilies float on top of the water.

According to Floraly, the lotus flower as been around for at least 100 million years and has been found in a number of fossils. The lotus flower is a symbol of spiritual enlightenment, beauty, fertility, purity, prosperity and eternity. It is the national flower of India and Vietnam.

The botanical name for the North American Lotus Flower is the Nelumbo Lutea Willd and is in the family of Nelumbonaceae Name That Plant tells us. The North American variety is primarily seen in the Southeastern states. The water lily may be similar in appearance but its botanical name is Nympaeaceae and it grows completely differently. Lotus flowers are rooted in the mud and rise up above the water to stand alone, a fact that partly contributes to the spiritual mystique surrounding them. Water lilies float on top of the water and do not have the ancient history of the lotus.

Growing up with a flower that is common to you can diminish appreciation for its uniqueness. I took for granted the beauty of the Yonkipins that begin blooming in late spring. It wasn’t until I began to paint them that they Took on a whole new sense of fascination. Learning about how fortunate I was to grow up with these beauties has made me want to paint more of them. One thing is for sure: I’ll never call them water lilies again.

Join us as we gather at Reelfoot Lake in remote West Tennessee to paint these beauties, as well as the stunning sunsets. For more information, see below!

Painting Reelfoot Lake as the Lotus Flower blooms.

Anticipating Joy

Hope! New Life! Survival! Beauty! Signs are pointing toward spring popping out all over. The Anticipation is overwhelming!

Hope! New life! Winter is passing. Survival. Spring is on the way. We made it past that week of horrible cold. And here is the proof. Life goes on. We do what we have to do and we go on. As do all living things. And we look for signs than we have survived another harsh and gloomy winter. Here’s my sign.

As I was planting my iris bed last fall, this little guy must have fallen out of the bag. He popped up just off the patio so I know I didn’t put him there. I don’t even know which variety he is. I won’t find out until May. Anticipation. In the meantime, I am doing my best to guard him from the extremely large paws of my 5 month old puppy. He has survived the odds so far. I’ll do my best to keep that going. He’s my joyful sign of hope!

Iris, miniature oil

In her blog, “Filling the Jars” Julie Hage gives 21 beautiful quotes about Spring. By far, my favorite is from Henry David Thoreau, ““One attraction in coming to the woods to live was that I should have leisure and opportunity to see the spring come in.” Not all of us can take time out from life like Thoreau did so we find our opportunities to see spring where ever we can.

What does that have to do with art? Art is what we do to express the wonder of life. If we can’t take off to the woods, we paint it. And we share it. Thoreau couldn’t take his woods to people so he wrote about it. The woods came alive through his words. That’s what we do with paint.

As I wait for May to arrive, I will anticipate how I will paint this little iris guy. I’ll imagine what color the petals will be and how tall he’ll grow. How many blooms will he put out? Will I paint in oil or watercolor? Maybe some more silverpoint iris.

Spring is an amazing time of expectation. New life is arriving. The signs are popping out all around. Spring is a wonderful time for artists. Anticipating so much inspiration surrounding everything, every day. How joyful is spring!

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