One of the big advantages to our current traveling lifestyle is how many amazing places we are able to see. These adventures are a huge source of inspiration for me as an artist. But seeing so many incredible sights can also lead to a bit of inspiration overload and lead my artsy brain in all sorts of different directions!
With each new location, each new season, comes a whole new set of inspirations! So how does one artist handle so many different sources of inspiration?
For me, I keep my eyes open and take special notice of what inspires me, not just once, but on a continual basis. It’s easy to find one spark, but the trick is finding what will continue to spark over and over and over. Look not for the firecracker, but the forest fire– the spark that leaps and creates more sparks, more fire.
I make note but I don’t necessarily pursue those sparks right away. My sketchbook is full of idea scribbles, some pretty well developed, others simply notes on colors and forms. I also have a folder on my phone where I dump those quick sparks when I don’t have my sketchbook handy. Then, there is my favorite inspiration keeper– Pinterest! I have at least half a dozen boards where I hoard visual inspirations from subject matter to color palettes. I keep them private so they are for my eyes only until I decide I am ready to share them with the world.
I commit myself to what I’m especially inspired by at the moment and concentrate on exploring that inspirational idea fully. Each inspiration exploration becomes a series of work to be revisited again and again as I continue to find new ways to express that initial spark.
Once I feel like I’m done exploring a certain subject for a while, I’m ready to move on to another idea. But how to decide? Sometimes it takes some exploration in the studio to see what is moving me creatively or it could be as simple as how excited about an idea I am! The most exciting prospect wins!
At the moment, I’m exploring beachy and coastal inspiration in my VENTERS series– it is proving to be perfect for the coming summer on Puget Sound!
This weekend, we found a bit of latitude in Oregon’s Applegate Valley and I want to know where YOU are finding LATITUDE!
If you’re on Instagram, use the tag #latitudefound to share photos of the places where you’ve found room to breathe. I’ll be sharing a few each week on my Instagram feed!
It has been so long, but I’m finally back with a recap of what Mr. Forager & I were up to these past few weeks. It was a roller coaster ride, for sure! The Friday before we were to leave WA, Mr. F thought he had a job in Ellensburg, WA sealed up, just waiting on the contract to be sent over. We waited and waited and finally got fed up and called the facility who’d wanted to hire him only to find out they’d changed their minds! So now we were leaving WA on a Saturday morning with no idea whether he would have a new contract at the end of our road trip. Stress!! But we decided to make the most of our trip anyway, taking a leisurely drive down the Oregon Coast. *Note: The Coast is beautiful anytime of year, but would have been much more enjoyable in summer. Brrr!
canon beach, oregon
We got in a cold but enjoyable walk along Canon Beach and made it to our car seconds before the downpour began. Trying to be budget minded on this trip, we tent camped the first night– we survived ( our sleeping bags are rated to 23 degrees ) but the wind ensured that Mr. F’s side of the tent, which is a bit more suited to backpacking in summer, got wet. That, combined with my whining, put the kibosh on the tent camping! We kept making our way down the Coast at a leisurely pace, stopping in Manzanita, Pacific City, Florence and a few other coastal towns I can’t recall at the moment!
view from a coastal town i can’t remember the name of!
So much beauty to behold, you really need more like a month to make this trip, not the week that we gave ourselves. Despite the cold and rain, we loved every minute of it. We discovered the joys of yurt camping ( totally the way to go in Oregon ) and chatting with locals. Once we hit California, we figured out that we’d perhaps been a bit too leisurely going through Oregon, so had to make up some time. Mr. F also was able to secure another contract to begin in Idaho after Thanksgiving. I was a little bummed, not that Mr. F got a job because yay! but because I’d already been looking at rental prospects for the area and well, they were bleak. So some stress was added back into our fun.
We drove through stands of giant redwoods and inhaled the scent of eucalyptus through much of the Northern California coast. We spent the night in a hostel at Pt. Reyes, arriving at dusk and leaving just after dawn, so all we were able to see of Pt. Reyes itself was through a thick layer of fog. Bummer. But the little town of Pt. Reyes Station was a sweet little artsy spot, definitely worth a stop if you find yourself in the area. We continued our journey over the Golden Gate Bridge, heading for our next destination, Big Sur.
golden gate through the rain
But before we hit Big Sur, I had always wanted to see Carmel, so we stopped for a bite of lunch and a good leg stretching. I’d read about the architecture and charm of Carmel years ago and had always longed to see it. Let me assure you, it did not disappoint! Such a lovely little spot filled with fairy tale cottages.
carmel by the sea
And then came Big Sur. This place totally enchanted us. The friends we were headed to visit told us it was their favorite place and now we understand why. It is the most “Northwest” feeling of all the places we’ve been in California so far. We camped in a tent cabin along the banks of the Big Sur River and drove along Highway 1 with our mouths agape.
The clouds continued until we hit Santa Barbara and then it was like BOOM you are now in Southern California where the sun is always shining! After nearly a week of cold rain, it was a welcome change! Thanks to stopping in at the SB Visitors Center, we scored a nice deal on a sweet little boutique hotel for the night. Off we went in search of dinner and stumbled upon the Santa Barbara Funk Zone, a fun change after the more touristy center of town. But the best part was knowing that after a few hours of driving the next day, we would reach our friends in San Diego and be able to settle in for a nice long visit.
santa barbara mission
I’ve written before about our friends the Jameses and their boys. Any visit we have with them is sure to be filled with lots of food, fun and laughter. And always way too short. We began our trip back up to Idaho the morning after an over indulgent Thanksgiving!
afternoon at the park
The whole time we were in San Diego, we were still trying to secure a rental in Idaho. And no dice. It became increasingly frustrating, especially after we arrived in the area and saw one rental that was, well, lets just say the Craigslist photos were very deceiving! After three more hotel nights, we were finally able to move into our little apartment here in Moscow, ID. We’ve been so busy looking for a rental and moving in that we’ve barely been able to explore town. Hopefully I’ll have more to share from Moscow next week! Have a fabulous weekend, Artsies!
If you’d like to see more photos from our trip and from This Artsy Life, follow me on Instagram!
There is a certain type of place that I love to come across in our travels– the little artsy town. Different from just any ol’ small town, these are spots that despite their diminutive size, are a thriving community for creative people of all kinds. Last weekend, we made a trip to one of my favorite such towns, Astoria, Oregon. I thought you might enjoy hearing a little more about my take on what makes this spot so especially artsy!
So here we go, in no particular order..
1 | The scenery
Situated right at the northern border with Washington, Astoria is your introduction to Oregon when driving down the coast from WA. Surrounded by the Columbia River on the south and Young’s Bay on the north and just a few miles from the Pacific give Astoria an especially coastal feel. It smells like the sea! Homes and businesses cascade up the hills, giving way to stunning views, especially on a rare clear day. Coastal mountains peek out from behind the clouds, adding to the drama of the landscape.
2 | The architecture
You won’t find much slick and new in Astoria, which I must admit, is a big part of its charm. Original architecture remains entact and even celebrated by most local businesses. Even the small downtown JC Penney department store is still there in all its original glory! Sure there are newer buildings around, but the downtown area for the most part retains its old school charm.
3 | The art scene
Of course, an artsy little town needs a gallery or two. Astoria boasts a nice selection of galleries, contemporary, traditional, and even a wonderful photographic gallery. I was sad to see Lunar Boy gallery didn’t make it, I loved its quirkiness, which seemed so right for Astoria. Imogen Gallery ( bottom photo above ) is now in their spot and seem to have retained some of their artists, so all is not lost. And Imogen seems a welcome bit of sophistication and curatorial restraint. A monthly art walk, as well as other community arts organizations seem to ensure a thriving artistic community.
4 | The quirkiness
What’s a small town without some quirk? Astoria has plenty to go around! From funky little boutiques and bookstores to a crazy rusted out old delivery truck roaming the streets to a massive king malamute named Komo who will give you a friendly lick, Astoria folks don’t take themselves too seriously.
5 | The libations, both with and without alcohol
Astoria doesn’t seem to be just a draw for visual creatives, but makers and creators of all kinds, including those of a beverage-nature. I’m talking the two main Northwest beverage groups, coffee and beer. There’s a Rogue presence, the NW brew staple whose fare includes quirky offerings such as Voodoo Maple Bacon Ale and Beard Beer— the yeast for which was actually harvested from.. wait for it.. the brewmaster’s beard. Gross! Yet, Mr. F just had to try it. ( Verdict: it was good but more in a Belgian style which isn’t Mr. F’s fave ). Then there’s Ft. George Brewery which we hadn’t tried before and now greatly regret! Got a big thumbs up from Mr. F. No Northwest town is complete without a coffee house or twenty and Astoria is no different. There’s java aplenty, not surprising for a spot that averages 67″ of rain each year. Those gloomy days give Astoria brewers and baristas plenty of time to perfect their crafts.
You’ll want to add Astoria to your must visit list, for sure.
With every new place, we make out a list of our “must sees” while we are there and this weekend, the sun finally came out, so we took full advantage and happily crossed a few items off our list! One of our favorite “perfect day” activities is to do a little wine tasting. So we headed down to the Williamette Valley in Oregon to enjoy some Fall color and hit a few vineyards. You might remember we did a little wine tasting while we were in Southern California and while a day spent tasting wine is never a bad thing, we did find the SoCal style, with cavernous, crowded tasting rooms and glamorous, perfect people flitting about a bit off putting. We like a quieter, cozy atmosphere, one where the winemaker himself might proudly take you on a tour of his vineyard, where staff take the time to chat and get to know you. Maybe we’re a bit biased towards the NW, but there is just something about the wine country atmosphere up here that just feels more inviting.
So we spent a beautiful, cloudless day exploring the Oregon countryside and finished the day with a quick detour into Portland for dinner at our favorite Thai restaurant, Pok Pok. I swear, Mr. F fantasizes about the Vietnamese Fish Sauce Wings. This is one place where, though the atmosphere is definitely NW cool, it is all about the food. They could serve their yummies out of a brown paper bag on a street corner and we would still line up to eat it.
So many of our Sundays these days seem to be spent catching up and running errands, and we got a bit of that in, but took the afternoon to make the drive over to the coast, hoping to catch one of our former landlords at their coffee shop, Tinderbox Coffee Roasters in Westport. Have you ever run across people who were just instant friends? Tara & Nick, the owners of Tinderbox, rented their house to us a few years ago, my first time living in the Northwest and being away from Florida. Friendly, warm, genuine people that we took an instant liking to. The kind of people who get it. And it shows in the coffee they brew and the atmosphere they’ve created at Tinderbox. Unpretentious, cozy and full of life, just like them. If you find yourself in Westport, or passing through Aberdeen/Hoquiam ( where they have a drive-thru stand ), make sure you stop and get a cup of java. It will warm you inside and out.
My husband and I love Oregon. George lived for a while on the Northern Coast of Oregon and last year, we lived in Southern Oregon while he worked in Grants Pass. The beauty and natural diversity there is just absolutely incredible. So when Joe Stevens of Shwood Eyewear emailed me about This is Oregon, a photo project “to inspire others to get up, go out and start exploring”, I told him I was more than happy to share it with you!
This Is Oregon, photo by Julian Bialowas
Shwoood Eyewear teamed up with photographer Julian Bialowas to photograph 10 magificient locations, all within a 90 minute drive from downtown Portland, Oregon. The project’s aim is to “showcase the awe-inspiring landscapes waiting to be explored.”
Columbia River Gorge by Julian Bialowas
There will be a This Is Oregon photo show and party at The Ace Hotel in Portland on May 3rd, admission is free and so is the beer! ( If only we were closer, we would be there for sure! ) Super cool prints of Julian’s This Is Oregon work can be purchased here. I can’t decide which one I love best. Each one is more beautiful than the next, just like the landscape in Oregon. ( I’m leaning toward the Columbia River Gorge piece above– it’s one of our favorite OR places! )
I hope you’ll check out the This Is Oregon website and see for yourself. If you haven’t been to Oregon– plan a trip. NOW. You’ll never regret it.
And make sure you watch this video. It’s almost like being there. But you need to see it for yourself!
I am extremely blessed to be living in one of the most dramatically beautiful areas of the country. Around every mountain pass is another scene, ripe for immortalizing in paint. As I’ve sketched here in the Pacific Northwest, I’ve realized how difficult it would be to truly capture the sheer, magnificent beauty that is all around us. To portray not just what the eye sees, but what the heart and spirit see.
Fables and Fantasies by Marla Baggetta, oil on canvas, 48×48
It is this, seeing the landscape through heart-colored glasses, that draws me again and again to Marla Baggetta’s work. She may be an Oregon artist, but I was a fan of Marla’s work long before making my home in the Northwest. When I worked as a Project Manager/Art Consultant in Florida, posters of Marla’s work were always project favorites due to their prismatic serenity.
Prelude to Spring by Marla Baggetta, oil on canvas, 36×36
Her work takes the viewer on a journey, drawing them into a world that is at once familiar and extraordinary. The landscape of daydreams, illuminated with brilliant light and color. It is what the world looks like through eyes full of hope and love.
The Sounds of Color by Marla Baggetta, oil on canvas, 48×48
Marla’s work gives color and light to our emotions, bathing a foggy landscape in a warm, yellow glow. Reminding us of the joy of a blue sky after a long winter.
Serenity Found in Blue by Marla Baggetta, oil on canvas, 36×36
I hope to always see the world around me as this artist does. Full of beauty, loveliness and wonder. Even in the midst of a rainy Northwest winter.
To see more of Marla Baggetta’s work, please go to her website. If you’re lucky enough to be in the Northwest, you can see her work up close & personal at Riversea Gallery in Astoria, OR.
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