The stars began to burn through the sheets of clouds, and there was a new voice which you slowly recognized as your own.
Mary Oliver
For a week this summer I lived in a small cottage in the forest, by the water. I moved out of my apartment to be close to nature, and I think I have rarely enjoyed something as much as my time there, listening to either the wind blowing in the trees or an audio book of some sort.
I love outdoor creating! It’s the best because it combines two beautiful things. Being outside in the sun and doing something creative! I was outdoors from breakfast to late evening when the cold or darkness made it impossible to stay. Then my fingers was almost numb from the wind and another spread in my journal was filled with colour.
My favorite spot was a tiny landing-stage, and the outdoor dinner table where I ate, journaled, painted and doodled:
I like being close to a house, like I always am when creating in my parent’s garden, because then you can go back inside if you forget a glue stick or something else. Or if you want to refill your iced coffee – or get water for the paint brush. I do own a water brush, but I don’t like it too much (I think it’s because I use a lot of water when I paint so the flow of the brush slows me down).
When moving around, from one spot to another, I packed my stuff (paints, journal, pens, iphone and paint brushes) in a fabric tote for easy transporting.
I have never had so many creative ideas or written so many lists as I did when sitting in silence with just my self as company. Watching the sun glitter on the water. Listening to the wind. No watch, no schedule, no chatter. Nothing, but time to generate ideas while being in nature.
I tried doing a nature scene of the reed and pebbles around me, but mostly I simply doodled in my journal, with a pen or watercolours. I also came up with a combination of life drawing and fantasy, like these pink and orange reeds:
Best Summer Crush ever! What have you fallen in love with this summer? What places, practices and material have become your personal summer crush?
This sounds wonderful. A full week of pure happiness. I was in berlin for 9 days. It was hot but a great inspiration. The hamburger bahnhof museum is (till october) hosting an exhibition with paintings of the swedish artist hilma af klint. It was a revelation to me. You might like her very much, too. You came into my mind when i stood in front of her art, my mouth and eyes and heart wide open.
What a beautiful space to have Summer Crush! We are waiting for summer to be over so we can go outside again. Right now, it is just too hot. Your artwork is always so lovely and airy–a real joy to see.
Wow, that looks magical!! I would *love* uninterrupted time outdoors to create (i have a 3 yr old). My crushes this summer have been the early morning hours in solitude I spend outside (or inside) writing my morning pages. And working with collage has been a big shift that I love. I’m a big fan of gluing random stuff together. :)
Oh Hanna, it sounds absolutely heavenly!!!
Sounds like heaven, Hanna. You must not have a lot of big, nasty mosquitos where you are. Were it not for that I surely would spend more time outside doing art. I’ll have to wait for more cooler weather. Thanks for all your sharing.
Wow. What I love about visiting here is that you take a single work of art and you share your atmosphere, development, thoughts behind it, and you allow us to live there with you! It’s a great thing to create outdoors. When I have an upper veranda that’s the best times for me. I can look out on so much of nature, over trees or water, and at the same time be away from the activities so that my inner monologue continues through the piece I’m working on.
Thanks for sharing!
I absolutely agree. There’s something completely magical about making art outdoors.
[…] already written about outdoor creating sitting by the water, so this is a photo post, in case you need some nature inspiration […]
Paradise in Sweden… surely I could find a place like this in NC