I’ve had great fun this past week getting outside to field sketch and to test out my new tripod. I’m able to paint my largest plein-air sketches yet with it- 15″ x 30″! I’m heading to Seattle this week and plan to pick up a larger drawing board that will support a full 22″ x 30″ watercolor sheet.
My new tripod is a Slik Sprint Mini II model with a few key versatile features. First, it has three leg lock positions, so the legs can be independently opened to different angles. Next, the center column is detachable and has a screw cap that I was able to modify to add a wire hoop (for hanging a water-bottle as a weight during windy days. Finally, the tripod is under two pounds! I love it.
To attach my art boards to the tripod, I’ve modified two camera flash extenders I found at Glazers Camera Supply to form a “T” that secures to the tripod and which I’ve covered with velcro tape. My folding drawing boards have corresponding velco strips that hook onto the “T” support- the velco is surprisingly strong. I hope to soon rig up a support for my palette that clamps to my tripod leg or center column with this VersaMount.
The rest of the kit components include a folding brush holder, collapsable water container, palette, and a folding stool. So far my whole kit fits in my large Ortlieb Messenger backpack. Yesterday I took it to Washington Pass for some practice in the snow and am continuing to explore the Methow Valley as I hone my field kit in preparation for my trip to Greenland this summer.
I spent the last week in Seattle and returned home to stormy springtime weather in Twisp. Late afternoon yesterday a thunderstorm blew through with dark skies and hail, finishing with a double rainbow that ended in our back yard! During this inclement weather, I’ve been hunkering down indoors working and now good news.
I’m thrilled to announce that the Allied Arts Foundation is my new fiscal sponsor. The AAF is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1967 to support artists and arts organizations. Their fiscal sponsorship enables me to receive tax-deductible donations (including in-kind), as well as apply for grants and awards under their non-profit umbrella. I’m delighted to have their support. And yours as well! Thank you to everyone who’s donated so far to my High Latitudes expedition. I’m getting closer to my first goal of $8000 having now received over $3,500. Consider pledging your support now!
I listened today to a TED talk by Dan Buettner on how to live to 100 years old and took time to reflect on my art and lifestyle choices. Buettner and his team have studied communities around the world whose elders live to record setting ages with vigor, and this talk features nine habits that are common across borders. The concept of ikigai in Japanese culture particularly caught my attention as I was sketching in my studio. Ikigai is believing that your life is worth living. It’s your subjective sense of well-being, your sense of purpose what gets you up and going in the morning… Everyone has the potential for ikigai.
When I was applying for the Watson Fellowship while in college, I was advised to choose a project for which I’d still get out of bed for even when I was feeling sick, tired, and lonely. The answer for me was easy — sketching and painting. And so developed my project for which I spent 12.5 months traveling around the world, “Ties to the Land, exploring remote regions through art” (learn more).
Many things bring me satisfaction, but encountering the world with a sketchbook particularly delights me and leads to rich experiences and relationships. It brings me ikigai. Where do you find ikigai?
Ponderosa, 7" x 10" Watercolor Sketch
On that note, with springtime here, I’m taking more time to field sketch and warm up my skills in preparation for my summer High Latitudes expedition. I made these sketches today just using my extremely portable pocket watercolor kit and brush pen.
Almost every morning this past week I’ve run outside with my husband to investigate a new bird we’ve heard or spotted. Springtime is marvelous with so many species back after winter! Here are some of my week’s sightings:
Great Horned Owl: The past few mornings I’ve heard a Great Horned Owl pair calling to each other in the early dawn. I love waking up to their soft “Hoos.” I’ve seen them once, but could only make out their large silhouettes against the deep blue sky.
California Quail: These were around during the winter, but lately I’ve enjoyed seeing them dash across the road while I run. They somehow manage to look dignified as they hurry along, their feet just a blur beneath their bodies.
Western Meadowlark: This one is a treat with its beautiful song warbling melodically over the landscape. In spite of the morning chill, I’ve opened my office window so I can hear them better.
The sky yesterday at lunch was magnificent. Cumulus clouds were boiling over the hills, growing in towering cumulonimbus as the winds began to gust. After lunch, my husband Darin and I dashed outside to record the clouds with my paints and his camera. The clouds advanced and within half an hour the sky was overcast. Darin made a short timelapse video with his photos- check it out!
I also noticed this morning that local Seattle meteorologist Cliff Mass posted to his blog about the clouds with another beautiful timelapse.
Pledge your support and help make my upcoming High Latitudes expedition possible. Donate and receive a gift from the field at one of four sponsorship levels.
Donations are tax-deductible, made possible through fiscal sponsorship from the Allied Arts Foundation.
To attach my art boards to the tripod, I’ve modified two camera flash extenders I found at Glazers Camera Supply to form a “T” that secures to the tripod and which I’ve covered with velcro tape. My folding drawing boards have corresponding velco strips that hook onto the “T” support- the velco is surprisingly strong. I hope to soon rig up a support for my palette that clamps to my tripod leg or center column with this VersaMount.
The rest of the kit components include a folding brush holder, collapsable water container, palette, and a folding stool. So far my whole kit fits in my large Ortlieb Messenger backpack. Yesterday I took it to Washington Pass for some practice in the snow and am continuing to explore the Methow Valley as I hone my field kit in preparation for my trip to Greenland this summer.
