Sketching in nature

Nature inspires. Away from the noise of cars and phones and computers, disconnected from the electronic hum of manufactured life, I inhale the clean spring breeze. Warmed by the sun and lifted by bird song, my spirit begins to soar. Back in touch with the essence of who I am, I am driven to create. Sketching in nature is my life meditation.

A lightweight back pack is perfect for carrying a sketch journal, small box of watercolor paints, and few colored pencils. Cathy Johnson, in The Sierra Club Guide to Sketching in Nature, advises, "Keep it simple, for the sake of weight as well as speed. Carry a few carefully selected colored pencils; let the season or time of day be your guide, or the animals or birds you expect to see."

I was attracted to this festive pink Eucalyptus blossom and its graceful, elongated leaves, drawn here with colored pencils carried on a leisure sketch hike.

It takes time to see a flower

"When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for the moment." Georgia O'Keeffe

I am fascinated by the delicate, graceful poppy -- how the green pods unfold like a ballerina dancing -- how the fragile petals crinkle like a fine rice paper.

When I draw a flower, it captures my attention. It is my mediation: the noise of the world fades to peace-filled quiet. In this sketch, I was intrigued by the fine "hairs" on the stem of the poppy.

I opened this entry with a quote from Georgia O'Keefe that speaks of this meditative experience. It takes time to see, really see. When someone tells me, "I can't draw," I suggest they first take time to see - line, form, relationship, texture, light, dark, color. And feel. This is where we begin.

Consider another well-known quote from Georgia O'Keefe -

"Nobody sees a flower - really - it is so small it takes time - we haven't time - and to see takes time, like having a friend takes time."

Everyday creativity

"Creativity is the ability to look at the ordinary and see the extraordinary." Dewitt Jones

An uplifting and inspiring film, Everyday Creativity with Dewitt Jones, photojournalist, can be viewed at http://www.everydaycreativityfilm.com/.

Key concepts from the film:

-- See the extraordinary in the ordinary.
-- Every act can be a creative one.
-- Creativity is a matter of perspective.
-- There's always more than one right answer.
-- Reframe problems into opportunities.
-- Don't be afraid to make mistakes.
-- Break the pattern.
-- Train your technique.
-- You've got to really care.

I would add -- Take time to see and draw the one thousand things in the everyday. Keeping a sketch journal provides a place to pause and register the world seen. Here, my napping cat, Buck.

Begin it now

“Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

This blog was inspired by Sebastian, a spiritual healer, who advised me to keep a virtual journal - now! He spoke my truth when we confronted me with simply watching clouds drift by. Indeed.

I recall days, lying on my back in the middle of a spring green wheat field, blanketed by the warmth of the sun, watching puffy white clouds drift across an open valley. And I wondered. About life. About love. About who I would be. If only I could hitch a ride on a passing cloud...

But wondering without action would find me still wondering 30 years from now. And so this is my challenge - to take action now, to bring forward my inspired best. If you find yourself joining this journey, it is my wish that you, too, will be inspired to be your best.

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Photo of Sunol Regional Park, California