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.
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”.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
We aren’t all outdoorsy and it can truly be a challenge to give up the luxuries of beds and showers for a few days. But if you’ve never strapped on a pack and walked into the wilderness, as an artist, I can tell you the benefits will far outweigh the short term sacrifices. I have a love/hate relationship with backpacking. The whole no toilet/no shower thing isn’t my fave. Neither is carrying a big pack while hiking. However, I love the feeling of being on the trail, sleeping under the stars.
Last weekend, Mr. F and I took off into the Grand Tetons for a night and it got me thinking of all the ways backpacking can benefit us as artists.
A literal change of scene.
Artists tend to be solitary creatures. We toil away in our studios, sometimes forgetting to go out, eat, even talk to other human beings. We can get so wrapped up in what is going on within those four walls that we begin to overthink, overwork. Backpacking is a fantastic way to get a change of scene, to physically and psychologically distance yourself from the work. You’ll go back to it with a refreshed vision.
Quiet your mind.
No iMac. No iPad. No iPhone. The only I is you. Getting out and leaving technology and distractions behind, allows your mind time to calm. As your feet take you down the trail, your mind is free to wander, to look up, look down, look around and notice the beauty in the three dimensional world around you. You may even find new ideas flowing fast and furious thanks to a bit of peace and quiet.
Find room to breathe.
Those four walls I mentioned earlier? They can be suffocating. Especially when tied to pressure, responsibility, deadlines, all that adult stuff that goes along with being an artist. The longer you hike, the farther you go into the wild, the farther away from those four walls, the more air you’ll feel going into your lungs. Despite the weight of a pack, you feel lighter than air, your only concern is one foot in front of the other. There is finally room to breathe.
For the inspiration.
This one seems obvious, especially if like me, you are an artist for whom nature is your muse. But even if what you do isn’t remotely involved with nature, there are still mountains of inspiration to be attained. Watch the changing light, notice the textures and shapes at play, the juxtapositions of color. I dare you to come away uninspired.
For the adventure.
How often do we get to go on adventures? Our grown up days are usually filled with the monotony of errands and responsibilities. Backpacking will get you back in touch with your inner Huck Finn. There is adventure and possibility around every bend in the trail. Tackling a grocery store run with kids in tow will seem like a piece of cake once you’ve climbed steep switchbacks with a pack on your back.
If you get the chance, take to the trail. Your legs might hate you but your mind, your spirit, and your work will thank you.
All images by Lesley Frenz. Images from the Top of the World trail to Marion Lake and Granite Canyon, Grand Teton National Park.
This morning I awoke before the sun in San Francisco and boarded a one-way flight bound for my Florida home. I’ve shared previously about my mom’s cancer diagnosis and the battle is taking its toll on her. She needs me more than this blog does, so I will be away for a while.
I’m so grateful to each of you who have taken on the role of caregiver for a parent and have reached out to me and told me what a cherished and important time it became. Those stories give me strength and courage to know that I am not the first to walk this line, nor will I be the last. I hope that when this chapter is complete, I can be a help and hope to someone else at the beginning of this journey.
I’m going to miss blogging and sharing artists with you every day, but this is just a temporary break and I hope to be able to use this time not only to focus on my mom, but to dive deeper into painting ( having Mr. F ship my paints to Florida! ) and work through my feelings by creating. The two paintings above are little studies I’ve done for my mom since she began chemo. Inspired by advice from M.A. Tateishi, I wanted her to know how much she was on my mind and heart and provide her with something tangible to hold and connect with me while we were on opposite coasts. Maybe when we are together I can convince her to paint with me!
I’ll be checking in when I can here and on the Artsy Forager social media channels. If you’re on Instagram, I’ll see you there! Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers, dear Artsies. I’ll see you again soon.
With worries over the health of my mom, close friends, and myself ( I checked out fine, whew! ), it’s been an emotional summer. Not really the carefree season of years gone by. So Mr. F and I were really looking forward to unplugging and spending a week camping and hiking in Yosemite National Park. An escape to staggering beauty could not have come at a better time.
Simply taking time away from work, social media, and just the stress of every day life will have a renewing effect, but to be surrounded by an incomparable natural landscape, incredible in its beauty and yet struggling for its own survival, definitely puts everything into a new perspective.
These getaways allow for a resting of the mind and soul and an opportunity for Mr. F and I to really reflect individually and as a partnership on where we are and where we would like to be. Clarity comes, decision making is easier without distraction and passion for beloved pursuits are reawakened and reinforced. Every morning in Yosemite, we were awake with the dawn ( and sometimes before! ) excited for the adventure and inspiration the day would bring. Why can’t we rise to great each day as if there is adventure and discovery waiting?
We would lay our heads down each night and look up at the stars, exhausted yet satisfied that we’d taken full advantage of the day we’d been given.
By the end of our trip, we’d made goals for changes we’d like to see in our lives, a backing off from invasive technology and a renewed focus on physical, mental, and spiritual health. I personally came away incredibly inspired to dive deeper into painting and can’t wait to work through the amazing amount of artistic stimulation that I’ve felt since stepping foot onto Yosemite’s sacred ground.
I don’t know about you, dear Artsies, but I am ready to say goodbye to 2013 and get to the good stuff that I just know is waiting in the New Year! All in all, 2013 was a pretty good year for me and Mr. Forager. For today’s This Artsy Life post, I put together a little look back at some of our favorite moments from 2013 [ in case you’re wondering about the song choice, it is “our song” and still fits Mr. F & I so perfectly ]–
No life is ever perfect and ours, though exciting and full of adventure compared to most, is no different. We learned a lot this year, about ourselves and each other. We each went down new roads, sometimes things worked out and sometimes they didn’t. But in the process, we grew and we feel like we know better now what we want and where we’d like to be.
You can catch up on the specifics of our year in the This Artsy Life archives. Starting in 2014, I’ll take a break from doing these features each week but will be posting scenes from our life on Instagram and will pop in here on the blog with an occasional This Artsy Life post when I have something special to share. Meanwhile, I’m excited to begin a daily creative exercise that I’ll be posting on Instagram each day! More on that later this week!
Mr. Forager and I wish you all the very best in the New Year! Thank you for coming along on this journey with us.
All images by Artsy Forager. Video created using the Flipagram app.
Well, Artsies, I trust you’re either fully prepared for tomorrow’s festivities or up to your eyeballs in preparations! Here in the Forager house, we’re somewhere in between.. I still have some Christmas brunch prep to do and will be heading out soon to brave the post office, so today’s This Artsy Life post will be short and sweet.
We had a beautiful blanket of snow covering the ground for most of the weekend, just in time for Christmas! Nothing like crisp air and fresh snow to get you in the mood! Here’s just a few snaps from our weekend..
[ white christmas dreams come true ]
[ don’t mind if i do! ]
[ before ]
[ after ]
[ all wrapped up** ]
[ indeed it is ]
**If part of your day today includes rushing out because you ran out of gift tags, stay home & print your own Instagram tags like mine! I found the template through Pinterest, you can find it on the Going Home to Roost blog here.
Merry Christmas Eve!
If you’d like to see more from This Artsy Life, you can catch up on all our adventures on the blog here or follow me on Instagram!
PS– Between now & New Year’s, I’ll be taking a little break to get organized and prepped for what I think will be a busy and exciting year! I’ll still have an daily artist post going up and one final This Artsy Life, but no extras until 2014. You guys will all be too busy to hang around your computers anyhow! 😉
![This Artsy Life: Weekend 51 [‘Tis the Season]](https://artsyforager.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/IMG_1879.jpg)
