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     My friend Lee recently introduced me to her favorite park on the Merrimac River in Massachusetts.  What a delight!  I love that river, it reminds me of our former home in Michigan on the Tittabawassee River. I can sit by the river for hours, mesmerized by the breezes, the flow of the water, the fish jumping, and the sunshine dancing in and around the riverbank, the trees and the water.  

     One of my favorite books is Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame.  He writes about the river "What it hasn't got is not worth having, and what it doesn't know is not worth knowing. Whether you get away, or whether you don't; whether you arrive at your destination or whether you reach somewhere else, or whether you never get anywhere at all, you're always busy, and you never do anything in particular; and when you've done it there's always something else to do, and you can do it if you like, but you'd much better not."   

     Sometimes I get so caught up in needing to get things done. The more things I check off my 'to do list' the more successful is the day.  Kenneth Grahame reminds me that living is so much more than getting things done, it's about taking in every moment as if it were something to be cherished and savored, like a good wine, it's about spending precious time with friends and sometimes letting the day move me along, like the river, not caring where it goes, but enjoying every minute of the ride. 

     What a wonderful gift I was given.

My husband and I just completed an extensive Road Trip, traveling through Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, So. Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico.  America is truly beautiful and a land of such diversity.  I took hundreds of photos, many of which I will use as I work on my Nebraska Journal. 

We spent several days in Nebraska at my home town of Pilger.  I have so many ideas for my journal:  pictures of the farm, the land & crops, the weather, animals, buildings and events that were part of my childhood.  Many of those events haven't changed throughout the years: checking on the crops after a rainstorm, watching for Tornados, putting up sweet corn... I have made a few sketches in my journal which I am sharing with you in my website. 

We encountered a thunderstorm, including a Tornado Warning ... that brought back so many memories of the Tornado I survived as a child.  The corn had been planted two weeks before we arrived and the last of the beans were planted a few days before.  Farming has changed so much since I was a child, however the new technology has streamline the process a great deal.

Being there for Memorial Day gave me a great opportunity to reflect on family and friends, both current and past.  What a great community in which to grow up!  The people are generous, trusting and so much fun.  I entered two pieces of art in the Elkhorn Valley Artists Unlimited Art Show.  One of these took 1st place in the painting category.  I was very honored to receive this award.  

I look forward to sharing my memories of Nebraska with you. 

     I joined a friend for an art class at the local recreation center yesterday.  To get me started, she gave me a simple line drawing with no values and asked me to first, draw the picture and second, select the light source and add values accordingly.  I did as she asked and completed the drawing.  It was challenging and a great experience.  I was pleased with my work and shared it with the instructor and the class. 

     She then said, "but you did not use all the values (from 1-10)"  Being a plein air artist, I focus on the higher values (from 4 or 5 to 10... 10 being white) since nothing in nature (during the daylight hours) is really that dark and I mentioned that to her.  She said she encourages her students to start with the full range of values, otherwise they will have trouble using the full range later on.  After thinking about this, I realized that most of my paintings are light.  During my workshop with Richard McKinley, I chose the same subject Richard chose for his earlier demonstration, thinking that would help me learn.  I subsequently purchased his painting, framed both his and mine, and have them hanging side by side.  What I learn from studying them is that indeed, my painting does not have the depth his does, the value range is not as great and the painting is of course not as interesting.   

     I went back to my drawing from yesterday and pushed the values and then completed a 2nd sketch where the values are pushed even further.  It's true... the drawing is much more interesting.  What a useful experience this has been for me.  I look forward to more classes where I am pushed beyond my comfort zone.  It's true... it's never too late to learn! 

"Find your voice; Define your style."  I recently attended a lecture during which the gallery owner made reference to those artists whose work is all over the place.  He urged us to find a style and stick with it. What I am realizing is that this is not an easy task.  My friend Fred has a distinctive voice and style and it really works for him.  His paintings are fresh and uniquely his.  This doesn't mean he hasn't changed throughout the years, but I suspect much of his style stayed with him as he gave up previous media and adopted pastels as his media of choice.  He knows what he likes and what works for him.  I admire that. 

I struggle to find my style.  It seems like I should already 'be there'... I just don't know where 'there' is.  I make attempts and try on different styles, much like I try on clothing, discarding what doesn't seem to work.  I love the simplicity of Chinese brush painting; abstracted landscapes; pen and ink drawings; graphite sketches, watercolor washes and fiber art.  Do I have to pick just one?   

This art journey is so exciting... why put another's limits upon myself?  So my decision for now is to keep trying out different approaches to making art.  Perhaps one will stick with me.  In the meantime, what a thrilling ride! 

Agnes de Mille: "No trumpets sound when the important decisions of our life are made.  Destiny is made known silently."   

Life...enjoy it! 

Growing up in rural America has left me with a deep appreciation for nature, the farmlands and the open fields.  This painting represents my feelings for those open spaces.  Painting the landscape in abstract is new for me and I am enjoying the challenge.  I created this composition using a watercolor underwash and then finished the painting with pastels. 

Hello

I am in the process of retiring after 42 years as a nurse!  It might seem strange that I am posting this news in my fine art website however I am both an artist and a nurse.  Interesting that I just put artist in front of nurse ... because I have been putting my nursing career ahead of my art for such a long time.  I guess I am really switching gears. 

I have been struggling with retirement for about a year and had plans to retire last year, however I rescinded my resignation letter and kept going for another year.  It's been a good year and I have made a positive impact at my job ... I am now ready to move on.  Sometimes retirement feels a bit like jumping off a cliff!  My life has been so structured by my nursing and now it's a blank canvas... it can be as structured or unstructured as I make it.  I do fear that I will become a big slug and waste away my time, but my friends reassure me that isn't in my nature...so here goes!

Those of you who are artists may be able to relate to facing that blank canvas... it can be scary!  I think Leslie B. DeMille said in one of his video workshops that it's important to make that first mark quickly... after that it's not so scary.  So I am making my first mark and starting this blog.  One never really knows when you begin a journey where it will take you, however not to take the journey is to get stuck in life. 

So here goes!  Stay tuned as my journey into retirement and my art career move forward.

Ruth