Sunday, February 14, 2010

Valentine's Day

Last week I visited Sac Splash, whose mission is to help children understand and value their natural world through scientific investigation and outdoor exploration. Great mission. I spent a couple hours with Eva Butler, the director, and several of her staff members. They greeted me so warmly, I found myself blushing. Eva is a woman with passion for the environment and teaching children to love and care about it. I am so excited to have made her acquaintance.

David, a photographer/scientist and Eva took me and another artist for a walk near the vernal pools of Mather Park. It felt so great to be out walking on something other than a side-walk. The pools, which will practically dry up at the warmest part of the year, are teaming with life. I really enjoyed connecting with nature, even if it was for a short amount of time. I'll take some pictures the next time I am out there and post them on my blog.

I used to walk for almost a half-hour in a valley of Wisconsin, to find my horse. He would be grazing with a herd in the base of the field. It was so beautiful. I would sing and follow a dirt path beat by hooves and then try to catch my sassy quarter horse, since of course he didn't want to leave his paradise to go to the barn. Once I caught him though, I'd jump on his bare back and gallop up to the top of the valley.

Spending just a few minutes walking in a field, brought back memories.

On a side note, I submitted my manuscript last week to my publisher at Finney Company. It has motivated my butt to get back to drawing, so I can paint more inspired images.

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