Well, that was a busy six months, adapting to new ways of walking in the world while Covid-19 runs its course, keeping in contact with family and friends, learning to work via virtual platforms, and keeping abreast of happenings in the world.
There is so much going on this year with the pandemic and social causes that things can feel overwhelming, so it is good to find a way to turn the mind aside and live within the moment. For me, that can involve knitting, making art and spending time outside. I've already finished the 2020 Christmas socks, started on the 2021 socks and knitted a panoply of wee little socks while attending all the virtual meetings. Not only does it keep me relaxed, it also keeps me focused on what is happening during the meetings.
One of my virtual meetings recently was an online workshop with artist Corey Hardeman, a northern BC artist in my Artist Connect group. Corey's paintings of the natural world draw me in: nests, ponds, birds, puddles. Her oil paintings, when seen up close, almost glow and have depth to them that is not always visible online. My biggest two take-aways from her workshop are:
- when creating your art, approach what you make with a feeling of fascination, curiosity and wonder,
- to create an emotional connection between the viewer and your art, you first need to have a connection yourself with what you are depicting,
- painting things in the natural world as things of beauty contributes to a mindset that needs to save the world.
I started to think about that final point and realized that most of my favourite artists do just that - depict the beauty they find in the world. They paint what they see and their paintings show their connection to where they are and have been. What a wonderful thing that people can do that, and the thought of creating a world-saving mindset in viewers in the process is something to consider.
Here are two more of those artists whose work I enjoy viewing:
- Annerose Georgeson - another northern BC artist (also part of our group) who paints what she sees around her home in the woods. She finds beauty in the large and the small, and her work ranges from the forest floor to forest fires and regenerating forests, hay bales and logging. Look for her forest floor drawings and other art-in-the-moment on Instagram. Her Instagram feed brightens my day.
- Chili Thom - his work brings me joy - the colours, the movement. I don't know what else to say except that I love seeing his work and am sad that there will be no more. If you have one of his paintings, hold it close - while I love them, they are beyond my reach, so I am limited to online or gallery viewing.
If you are ever feeling down and are not able to get out to see the trees, puddles or the sky, make a cup of tea or hot chocolate, cuddle up on the couch and peruse the sites of these artists or others whose work you admire. Sometimes its the next best thing to being outside yourself, especially on a rainy day!
In the meantime I'll leave you with two outdoor images from my summer:
We were lucky enough to be able to get away for a week of screen-free time and totally enjoyed being outside 24/7 for that week of camping. The lichen in the trees told us how clean the air was and the rushing water sang us to sleep every night.
Comments