My adoration and attraction to the botanical world has been life long. I rolled allllll the way back into memory as far as I could see to find myself “before” and it’s not there. There was no “before”. Nature - and especially leaves and branches - have always felt like kindred teachers.

Have I ever told you that my plan was to go to college to become a botanist? That plan got derailed for many reasons (2 big ones, now ages 20 and 23) but I’m not mad about that. I can’t say that I would have loved some of the jobs associated with having higher education in botany. Maybe? 🤷🏻‍♀️

For as much as I am drawn to these forms of nature, I’ve never taken the time to learn how to draw them in more variety and realism. I may someday but for now, I’m perfectly content with my limited shapes and stick figureesque expressions because they just feel so darn fun to create!

This is how I know when I’m connecting with my authenticity:
1. when I create what I want to create for the sheer fun of it and
2. When I remember that authenticity isn’t something I need to FIND. It’s something I get to define and CREATE on MY terms. I mean, really, what’s more authentic than deciding who I want to be and being her regardless of what the world says authenticity is supposed to look like?!

~

This image feels like spring and fall in one. Sort of like the real life weather we’ve been having here in So. Oregon. I painted these during a live painting sesh this morning with the Unstuck Artist participants. Did I tell you that I’m leaving registration for this session if the course open until I open registration for session 2? I am. And you can still dive in and not feel “behind”.