Illustration Friday~Nature

To me nature is my church, whether it be a walk in the woods, sitting in the sand by the ocean or floating down stream in a canoe, that's where I feel most in touch.  Even as a small child I remember my aunt had a small patch of woods in her backyard, I can remember taking my dolls there and quietly playing.  I loved the silence.  I still do. I need silence in my life.  As a teenager I took long walks around the apartment complex where I lived.  I felt the closest to God on those walks.  I sometimes think I said my best prayers on those walks.  I never really felt alone.  Maybe it was all those moments that helped me when I needed it the most in my life. When drinking too much, and drugging too much were becoming the norm. I remember vividly the moment  I ask God to help me, waking from a dead sleep as the words formed in my mind, "please help me" it was a quiet thought and maybe a little desperate. Nothing horrible had happened, it was more a series of events that needed to stop, a lifestyle that needed to change. There's a saying, "when the student is ready the teacher will appear." I believe in those words. You can have all the interventions you want, and yes maybe it pushes you down the right course, but you need to be ready to make that choice, sometimes over and over again.

I wasn't planning on talking about these moments in my life when I started to write this today, sometimes I just let the words flow as they will, and thoughts of nature have always mingled in my mind with thoughts of God and spirituality.


Maybe it's the reason I draw so many trees or make kids art,  it just make me feel more in touch, happy. Drawing was another way that brought me back, when I struggled not to pick up a drink or smoke the joint, instead I picked up a pen.

The art I'm featuring today was started as a practice piece. It was sitting in my studio for over a year, and every now and then I would pick away at it. I never intended it to be a piece that I would frame and show. I even lopped a chunk of it off in the corner because it was too dark. A small cave with eyes peaking out.

Last week I put up a display at the Willoughby Library to feature staff art. It was a lot of fun designing it and lots of hard work!  As I was setting up I noticed most of the comments where directed at this piece of art and how much they liked it. I like it too.

I was also able to hang my daughter's photos ( she also works for the library) and that made me very proud. I love her nature photos and a her quirky style.








Here's more pics from the show.