Postcards From Farragut
Secret Beach, 2021
Watercolor paint
4" x 6"
A Place to Breathe, 2021
Watercolor paint
4" x 6"
The state park spans 4,000 gorgeous acres and is brimming with opportunities to witness God’s beautiful creation. Farragut houses a complex trail system which winds through a variety of terrain. There are woodland trails, shore-line trails, challenging trails that have steep inclines, and gentle meandering trails with benches every 20 feet (the latter variety is my preference by the way). The one thing each of the distinct paths have in common - every trail and every lookout reveals stunning scenes, each more breathtaking than the last.
This past summer has been crazy so I have had very few opportunities to escape to my woodland refuge. However, the couple of trips I have been able to take to my beloved park have blessed and refreshed my soul in a tremendous way. On each of my excursions I had wonderful company, fair weather, blue skies, and a backpack full of art supplies (and snacks). What more could one ask for?
A while back, I came across an ingenious invention. Some brilliant person decided to design a postcard sketchpad. Each of the tear-away pages is a little piece of watercolor paper with your standard postcard address delineations on the back. The printed area on the reverse side isn’t just for show, these watercolor pages are official USPS sized postcards that can actually be used! How cool is that?! Not only is this just a neat idea but the little watercolor pad fits comfortably into a pocket. I purchased this mini pad knowing it would come in handy for some project, someday, and then promptly tucked it away. Well, ladies and gentlemen - someday finally came!
As it turns out, my postcard pad was the perfect accompaniment to my newly acquired watercolor paint set and its diminutive size made it ideal to carry in a hiking pack. The small pages also made for low stress painting as I was able to easily cover my entire field in paint, from top to bottom, very quickly.
On both of my excursions, I was fortunate enough to be accompanied by a buddy. Creating art on your own is peaceful and certainly has its place, but there is something so special about making art with friends. My first outing was a camping trip with my sister. Michelle and I struck out, alone together, on a mission to relax and create. We succeeded.
Secret Beach
This little painting was inspired by our secret beach, a small cove off the beaten path. Chelle and I leisurely hiked out to our hidden spot. Once there, we promptly snacked, napped, and crafted to our heart’s content (in that order lol). I felt like a solar panel sleeping on the dock, basking in the sun. I awoke charged and ready to create, once again free from the hurry and busyness of life.
The second piece, entitled A Place to Breathe, was painted several weeks later with a new friend who, coincidentally, is also named Shelly (just spelled differently). Miss Shelly recently joined my outdoor art group. As God would have it, she and I were the only two participants to show up at this particular session. This was totally a God thing. Both of us arrived at the meeting late, stressed, and totally frazzled from the morning’s events. As we drove into the park together, the Peace of God came over us. It was as though the anxious thoughts left still clinging to our minds were broken off one by one, with each mile that passed. By the time we reached our destination (one of those lovely benches I mentioned earlier) we could both breathe a little easier, laugh a little more freely, and smile a little bigger. The art that happened after was a lovely bonus.
It was such a joy to just sit and breathe the fresh air; to soak up the sun and a beautiful view. These quiet moments to rest, and recharge, and create were such a treasure… And best of all I got to share them with friends, old and new.
If you would like to see the art that Michelle created on our outing, and find out more about her work, check out Cutoffcrafts.com :)
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