Summer Retreat
Why do I like to travel? Three things come to mind! First, it takes me out of my comfort zone. I have a bit of a scattered brain. I have learned that structure and rhythm of routine help keep me on course. Each day in the studio is pretty much the same routine as the next. Travel balances this. It constantly challenges me to adapt to and explore new surroundings, engage with different people, and embrace adventures as they come.
Secondly, I travel to learn. Immersing myself in geography, history, culture, gastronomy, languages, art and more enriches my thinking.
Lastly, I consider travel to be a type of Sabbath activity. It gives me freedom to live in the moment and time to clear my mind. And this in turn allows me the pause to appreciate God’s amazing creation from the natural environment of landscape and food to the creation of so many different kinds of people. My mind and heart opens in new ways when relaxed in this way.
This summer the travels took me to Colorado for a week of hiking. Most of the day was spent in the great outdoors but there were also enough quiet moments in each day to pull out my travel watercolors and reflect on the beauty of what we were experiencing. In the sketchbook/journal that resulted I chose to paint a sketch of a favorite hiking moment. And then I did two abstractions or imaginary modifications of the realistic image. This is not always easy for me but because I was so relaxed the ideas flowed freely. So, I share with you here a few of the pages that resulted.
This summer the travels took me to Colorado for a week of hiking. Most of the day was spent in the great outdoors but there were also enough quiet moments in each day to pull out my travel watercolors and reflect on the beauty of what we were experiencing. In the sketchbook/journal that resulted I chose to paint a sketch of a favorite hiking moment. And then I did two abstractions or imaginary modifications of the realistic image. This is not always easy for me but because I was so relaxed the ideas flowed freely. So, I share with you here a few of the pages that resulted.
This watercolor activity has applications in other life experiences. It can be refreshing to examine the reality of a situation or activity and then think ‘what if’ this changed or ‘what if’ this were in a different order. Brainstorming in just little ways can be oh so exciting! So now I’m back to the studio routine. Don’t get me wrong — I love what I do in the studio! Currently, it’s a mass of Advent and Christmas clergy stole and product planning. Sign up for the newsletter if you want to be the first to know about what is new in the studio. And stay tuned for the next travel adventures and how it impacts my work (wink wink!)
Of course my wheels are spinning with a stole design filled with mountains and spruce trees. Check back for this in our Christmas collection in a month or so. In the meantime if you love mountains you might like the mountain collages in the gift shop. Click here -
