artsy forager

Category: This Artsy Life

Glimpses into the life of Artsy & Mr. Forager

  • Living. Camano Island.

    Living. Camano Island.

    We’ve been here 5 months. We’ll be here at least 3 more. We visited Camano Island for the first time on a drizzly Saturday in 2016 and honestly, we weren’t terribly impressed.  I mean, it was pretty, as almost all of the Pacific Northwest is, but it didn’t blow us away. But when hubby took a contract doing home health out of Everett, WA and we were faced with the choice of a little apartment on the water on Camano vs. a little, more expensive apartment in Everett, we decided to give it another shot.

    And boy are we glad we did.

    These past months have been filled with beach walks, whale sightings from our living room (!!!), watching for bald eagles and sea lions, glorious sunrises and sunsets, and more fresh crab than we’ve ever had in our lives. (thank you, kind & generous landlords!)

    There has been so much to inspire me artistically that I can’t paint fast enough to get it all out.

    I’ve filled an entire Moleskine watercolor sketchbook with seaside inspired abstract sketches and used that as inspiration to create a special series of large watercolors on canvas inspired by Camano.

    We’ve been here long enough to watch Spring emerge and fade, and Summer is now in all its glory.

    I can’t wait to see what Fall brings as the seasonal houses close up and everything goes quiet again.

    You can see more from our life on Camano by following my Instagram stories where I post tidbits of what I’m seeing around me daily.

    All images by me.

     

     

  • Locality.

    Locality.

    We enter 2018 settled for a bit in Spokane, WA. Doing this travel thing for the last (almost) 7 years has been a strange sort of life for a number of reasons. Since the contracts are usually at least 3 months long, often extending longer, we have the experience of not just visiting but truly living in each place for a time. Of becoming “a local”.

    Let It Wash Away by Lesley Frenz in Edmonds, WA

    But even on the longer stays, we always know it is just temporary. We aren’t truly local, just visiting.

    We often talk about how weird it is to stake a claim in one place– especially if it is a place you were born into, that you didn’t choose yourself. How strange that governments and principalities decide where lines are drawn on a map and we swear allegiance to the lands between those lines. We want to truly choose where we decide to call home.

    One thing traveling has taught us has been that you can make a home, make a life, wherever you decide to be. We’re looking forward to finding ourselves in one such locale, wherever it may be, in 2018.

     

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  • Holiday.

    Holiday.

    Frenz_Sanctuary VIII_watercolor and cold wax on cradled wood panel_10x8x1

    Christmas greetings from snowy Spokane, Washington!

    Wishing you all the loveliest of holidays!  

  • Living. Live Work Studios.

    Living. Live Work Studios.

    What our eventual home space will look like is a major topic of conversation for Mr. F and I.  We’re on our 15th(!) living space in 6 years of traveling and with each new home we discover what works for us and what doesn’t. 

    Since amping up my studio practice in the last several years, having space to paint has become more and more important for my happiness as an artist and well, the Mr. knows that happy wife=happy life.  For our permanent living situation, we’ve talked about an in-home studio, backyard studio, and off-site studio.  But lately, we’ve been seriously thinking about a live/work studio home.

    Basler studiofound here

    Even when I have a little studio area, my painting paraphernalia always seems to find its way out into the other living areas.  We don’t want a huge house with wasted space, so why not combine our living space with my work space?  

    Day studio collage found here

    Mr. F isn’t picky and he’s super low maintenance, not minding the thought of basically living in a big artist’s studio.  All that he requires is a comfortable bed, sofa, and well-functioning kitchen.  We both prefer spaces that aren’t precious– none of that “furniture you can’t sit on” for us.  So I think we’d be OK with knowing there may be random paint splatters happening.

    Slaughter1found here

    With that said, I’m a pretty neat painter– I always wash my brushes and keep my studio pretty clean and organized.  So I think we wouldn’t have to worry too much about living in a disaster zone.

    Southern living studio found here

    Ikea studiofound here

    We’re still a few years away from settling down, so we have lots of time to ruminate on this option.  Any of my artist readers work/live in the same space?  I would love to hear your experiences!

    All images sources linked above.

  • Makeshift. Backpacking With Watercolors.

    Makeshift. Backpacking With Watercolors.

    Do you remember the scene in Wild where Reese Witherspoon can’t stand up under the weight of her pack?  Every backpacker knows that weight is everything.  Every ounce you add to your pack is an additional strain on your legs and back as you hike, which makes what should be an amazing, beautiful experience painfully agonizing. 

    Mr. F & I splurged on a brand new pack for me and decided at the last minute to take a quick overnighter along the Elwha River Trail in  Olympic National Park.  

    Me and my pack, Elwha River

    It was so last minute, I didn’t have a tiny sketchbook to carry with me and I wanted to be able to do some watercolors when we had downtime.  So industrious artsy that I am, I decided to create a makeshift watercolor kit for backpacking.

    First task– create a sketchbook.  The Mr.’s job recruiter recently came to visit & brought us some branded goodies– among them a few pocket journals, which just happened to be the perfect size for backpacking (remember, size matters! ha!).  I ripped out the lined journal paper, then cut a few pieces of Canson Mixed Media paper to size, securing them inside with a heavy rubber band, recycled from grocery-bought veggie bundles (I always keep some on hand, they come in so handy!)

    Photo May 30, 12 11 25 PM

    It worked perfectly– and as an added bonus, it is lighter than a moleskin would be and the pages will be easily removable as I fill them– so it will continue to lighten the more I hike & paint! 

    Onto the paint itself. I already had a super light weight flower-shaped watercolor palette with a lightweight cover. So I filled the wells with my favorite tube colors and let them dry out before packing them up.  I zipped the palette up in a ziploc, to protect all my other things just in case there was any paint leakage.  

    Photo May 30, 12 10 36 PM

    A small, inexpensive brush is sufficient for tiny quick sketches. I hacked off about an inch from the end so that it would fit easily in a quart-sized ziploc with my sketchbook without bending the bristles. That ziploc was then placed inside the freezer-sized ziploc with my palette and a small plastic water cup. I also bring along a folded paper towel for blotting. Viva brand towels work best– light and super absorbent, so I can do lots of blotting and cleaning up without soaking the towel through.

    IMG_20170520_151155

    Everything worked like a charm!  I may eventually switch out the palette for something more secure, perhaps with a larger mixing area (I like this option, the thumb hole would make it much easier to hold onto), but for now, it does the trick.  We’re hoping to do another overnighter this weekend along the Sol Duc River, follow me on Instagram for photos!

    Here’s a clip of me getting ready for a backpacking adventure.. 🙂 

  • Residency.

    Residency.

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    I admit, I get a bit jealous when I see artists participating in a fabulous residency in a beautiful place.  I’ve applied for a few myself, knowing that with my still limited professional artist experience, gaining a spot in one is a long shot.

    But as I was unpacking in our new temporary lakeside home in Washington, it occurred to me– I am in a new “residency” every 3-6 months!  Every new place brings with it new experiences and new inspirations, so why not treat each one as my own independent residency?

    This place especially, has my creative juices flowing thanks to the beautiful little lake on which we sit. Not to mention the trees, the rocks, the sky.. There is so much to take in!

    While I’m here “in residence” on Offut Lake, I’ll be working on a new series, ECHOES, inspired by reflections in water.  This idea was already germinating at the end of the VENTERS series and when I began to see how the reflections in the lake change throughout the day, I knew I had found my muse.

    Image by me.

  • Time.

    Time.

    Summer is the season for slowing down.  For taking time.  While I’ve been working in the studio a lot over these last few months, this summer has also been about renewal.  As often as we can, whether it is a long walk down to the beach or a secluded hike or a weekend of camping, we are cultivating a habit of intentional quiet time.

    IMG_20160710_190003~2

    As we approached the shore of Richmond Beach a few days ago, we happened upon an amazing installation of more than 30 cairns stacked along and in the water’s edge.  We marveled at the time and patience it must have taken to create each of those sculptures, knowing that they are temporal.  Creating art feels much the same– I work long and hard at painting, only to one day ship it off, where it will hopefully, go on to live a life completely apart from me.  My time with my work is fleeting.  But the hours spent creating it are the best kind of quiet meditation.

    Image by me.

  • Sunsetting.

    Sunsetting.

    I’ve never been an early riser.  So catching the sun rise over the Atlantic when I lived in Florida didn’t happen often.  But being on the West Coast, sunsets have become my happy place.  At least three evenings a week, the Mr. and I walk the mile and a half from our apartment then down (and back up, ugh!) 188 steps to Richmond Beach on Puget Sound.  Many Friday evenings we take a bottle of wine and end the week watching the colors slowly shift over the Sound.  It is an incredibly peaceful and lovely way to begin the weekend.

    Sunset over Richmond Beach

    Last night’s display was so incredible that Instagrammers all over the Seattle area were posting their sunset views.  We were all taking in and experiencing the same collective beauty but each from our own unique perspective.  What a gift of a communal yet individual experience!

    These magical sunset views are informing my new work in the VENTERS series– not always literally, but in the way the light becomes soft and dreamy, how the sun melts into the horizon, the way the colors morph and move one into another.

    See the current VENTERS paintings on my website here.  The newer paintings are even softer and more dreamy, if you can believe it!  Can’t wait to show you.

    Image by me.

  • Wishes.

    Wishes.

    Wishing each and every one of you a very happy Christmas!

    Wishes. | Merry Christmas from Artsy Forager #christmas #lights #holidays

    I’ll be back after the new year to share more from the Artsy studio!

     

  • Fall. Thankfulness.

    Fall. Thankfulness.

    Fall has been my favorite season since I can remember.  Maybe it started with the excitement this little nerd felt for going back to school.  Fall marked the beginning, a time for new friends, new teachers, new books and pencils!

    Fall1

    Last Fall was bittersweet.  I was in Florida helping care for my mom, not much in the way of excitement or autumnal color.  Instead of a new beginning, it was the slow, languorous middle of what we now know would be her last days.  Cherished moments and memories amid so much frustration and sadness.

    Fall2

    This morning we had our first snow of the coming winter season in Ashland.  Fall is coming to an end and I can’t help but think back, not just on where I was last year, but on what life has been like since.

    Fall3

    As blue sky peeks out among the clouds after this morning’s rain and snow, so Fall has felt like the return of joyfulness after the sadness of this summer.  Watching the color change among the beauty of Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons refreshed and renewed my heart.

    Fall5

    My studio practice also felt the magic of the advent of Fall.  Influenced and inspired by the beauty surrounding me, my paintings have felt more and more like my own unique voice.  I am filled with gratitude to be able to begin to call myself an artist, to focus on finding my way, to have time to paint every day– a dream held close to my heart but buried deep for such a long time.

    Fall4

    This week, my heart bursts with thankfulness.  For Mr. F, his unfailing love and support, for my friends and family who have shared tears and laughter, for those who have encouraged and bolstered my painting practice.  And you, dear friends, for continuing to share in this journey with me.

    Thank you.  I wish for you beauty and blessings!

    All images by Lesley Frenz.