Nature and Monet

I recently took myself out into the woods with a dear friend and re-connected with nature. This was exciting on many levels, it was the first time in 20 yrs. I had done an overnight back pack trip, it was the first time I hiked lots of miles at once, it was also a situation where I used all my girl power- that hadn’t happened in a long time- but the best part, was reuniting with raw nature.

Seeing the glorious creation of the North Cascades fully and up close captivated me. Had I had room in my pack (I’m not going to lie I seriously thought about it-next hike I will make room no doubt, besides, who needs deodorant?) I would have brought my paints, then I could have attempted to capture this amazing place and time on paper and created plein air, like Monet.

We camped above a twelve foot drop right on Thunder Creek River and the color of this churning and undulating river was a glorious haze of aqua green due to the mineral deposits of snow melt that cascade down into the ravine from two high mountain glaciers(the picture above doesn’t do it justice). Watching the birds dart about above the water eating their fill of bugs and seeing green, glorious green, everywhere… it was so beautiful, it made my eyes relax, and even though all my leg muscles were yelling loud with fatigue, I couldn’t hear them, because I was in heaven.

Currently, as I prepare for Camp heful -Monet A Painter of Light, I can relate to his insatiable thirst to capture the essence and beauty of a moment in nature. For Monet had an inescapable drive to seize these impressions and light touched images. He is quoted as saying,

”I have no other wish than to mingle more closely with nature, and I aspire to no other destiny than to work and live in harmony with her laws.”

After my weekend away I understand this need of Monet’s. I too long for the pure mountain air, the never ending drone of a river, the sounds of songs on dappled sunshine that seem to float onto a cascade of a million shades of green. Oh nature, you are calling.

“The richness I achieve comes from nature, the source of my inspiration.” ~Monet

I would like to encourage you to reserve your spot for The Atelier-Monet a Painter of Light soon, I only have three spots left for this camp! Come away on a journey into nature and lets paint light like Monet.