The Wonder and Joy of Nature

 

Mixed Media Collage 

Being outdoors for many of us is as necessary as breathing. For me it is calming and inspirational. Lots of people are studying the impacts of nature on health. For example, being outdoors in green spaces help children with ADHD (See article), that plants in work spaces or windows with green space outdoors improves work productivity (ScienceDaily article), and that gardening has many healthy benefits (ScienceDirect Meta Analysis Article).

So, you may have already figured out that I am a nerd. I love nature, but I also love learning about it. Up until this past June, I spent the last 15 years sharing my love of nature and science with well over a thousand students. Now, I am pursuing a new path, but nature and teaching are still part of that. My hope with this new blog is to share and teach about nature, but also to record my experiences as I carve out a new career as a full time artist and gardener. 

Like many in the past year, I made the decision to leave the workplace in order to journey towards a more authentic life. It's real risky to do that, but I am lucky enough to be in a financially stable position right now to do that. I want to expose others to the lessons that I am learning when it comes to building a new life and business. I invite you along for the ride. 

The featured collage in this article combines a wide range of materials and techniques. I started with gluing down scraps of paper from magazines. I followed up with a coat of clear gesso to help create texture and a surface for paint to adhere to. Then came my painting of the sunflower and its leaves with acrylic paint. Finishing touches of cancelled postage stamps, washi tape, more paper scraps, white pencil/pen, and charcoal pencil marks rounded out the piece.