Week 66 + 67: I started my artist residency at Allegheny National Forest!
Plus more art news!
Hey, hi, hello and welcome back to another adVANture update. Week 66 was spent visiting family in Ohio and time flew by way too fast — I need a pause button!
In the fun department, we feasted on produce from local farm stands, celebrated J’s birthday, played card games (J’s mom still won most of them!), I did some nature journaling, and we even had a stuffed waffle party:
We did some not-so-fun stuff too, like going to the dentist for a cleaning/checkup and I (Lisa) got a mammogram — happy to report that all is well. Whew.
So much has been happening on the art side, too, starting with…
Interview: Exploration Quarterly
I’m excited to share that I’m going to be in Exploration Quarterly magazine!
This publication by the team of Jonathan and Roseann Hanson features articles on field arts (that’s where I come in!), camping equipment, overlanding, and more. Some of you may recognize Roseann’s name as she helps run the annual Wild Wonder Nature Journaling Conference. I’ve been attending the conferences since 2000 and I’ve seen her on the screen so many times. Highly recommend! Find out more about this year’s conference here.
Roseann interviewed me via Zoom and it was an absolute joy to talk to her — like chatting with a long lost friend. We talked about my sketch kits, favorite art tools, van life and more.
Since the magazine features overlanding vehicles — and Walter-the-Van is one — she thought it would be fun if we did the interview in the van. I set up in the kitchen and this was the aftermath:
I’ll post again when the magazine is out — cannot wait!
Art Show: Caldera Reverie
In other exciting art news, I’m honored to have three watercolor paintings in Caldera Reverie, an art show at the Fuller Lodge Art Center in Los Alamos, New Mexico!
This art show features multimedia works by regional artists and National Park Service artists in residence who have been inspired by the volcanic landscape of Valles Caldera National Preserve. View breathtaking paintings, sculptures, wood batik, photography, and more. The show will be on display through October 3.
Click to watch a walk-thru of the show:
As I was going through my old sketchbooks looking for some to share with Roseann, I found the one from when I was the artist-in-residence at Valles Caldera last year. (Find out more about my residency here.)
The open sketchbook has a thumbnail sketch for one of the paintings that is part of the show:
Here’s the finished painting of the East Fork of the Jemez River:
I just loved all the subtle colors of the landscape.
Another piece that I have in the show is a fog study — I got really homesick for the Valle and put together this video on Instagram so that you could try to experience it:
If anyone goes to the show I’d love to see your photos!
Wish I could be there, but…
I started my residency!
On September 9th I started my artist residency at Allegheny National Forest (ANF) in Pennsylvania. The leaves are starting to change here and I can’t wait to paint!
I’m feeling so grateful that I get to call this place home for three weeks.
This is my fourth residency and it’s a dream come true because I have ties to the area. I grew up in the Allegheny Plateau region near Youngstown, Ohio and spent summers camping in the forests of Pennsylvania and West Virginia, including the ANF, where my Dad taught me a deep appreciation for nature.
This is our first time back in the area since we sold our house in Austin and to travel full time, and I’m beyond excited to get back to my roots.
Nature Journaling Demo
I’ll be hosting a nature journaling program on September 20th and if you’re in the area I’d love it if you came by. Here are the details:
Join artist-in-residence Lisa Spangler (that’s me!) for a nature journaling demo on September 20th! Stop by anytime from 9 to noon at the Willow Bay Campground Pavilion. Lisa will share ideas for documenting your discoveries in nature on paper through words and sketches so you can start this rewarding practice. You'll take home a mini journal and a deeper appreciation for Allegheny National Forest. All supplies will be provided.
I’ll also be doing another nature journaling demo at an employee meeting for Forest Service staff next week.
Can’t wait to share my love of nature journaling!
Allegheny River Cleanup
Friday we left our cute cabin in the forest and drove about an hour to Buckaloons Recreation Area near Warren, PA to get ready for the 17th annual Allegheny River Cleanup on Saturday. We scored a spot in the campground just five minutes from the morning meetup location which was super convenient. The campground sits on a former Seneca Indian village and it really got me thinking about the history of the area.
Saturday we woke up to fog on the river and it was so peaceful and quiet. I really needed that.
It was a really great turnout — I think there were probably 50 volunteers of all ages. We had a briefing about the the river and learned about sections to watch out for. Then we were all shuttled to the starting point near Allegheny Outfitters — who also donated the use of the canoes — and off we went.
The hunt for trash was ON! Several volunteers commented that it was getting harder and harder to find trash — which was a good thing. We still found a bunch though, including a hubcap, lots of pieces of coroplast signs, random bits and bobs, and so many cans!
When I saw the bridge that meant the end of our 7 mile paddle was coming to an end we pulled over so that I could do some nature journaling to mark the day. Here’s a quick video of my sketch spot:
A little girl yelled out from a passing canoe and asked me what I was doing, and I replied “drawing”. To which she replied “why are you doing that?!” and I said “because it’s FUN!” She didn’t seem to agree, but that’s okay. I hope she changes her mind someday though!
My River Sketch Kit
Here’s a closer look at my nature journal spread so you can see it better — this was done on one of the mini books that I made for the upcoming demos out of Canson XL paper:
The text reads: TWO bald eagles, dogwoods, virginia creeper, cardinal flowers, swans, kingfishers, herons, sycamores, acorns, 55 and foggy to 76 and sunny, the colors of FALL!
And here’s my super minimal kit that I threw in a ziploc bag:
An Art Toolkit demi palette filled with hansa yellow medium, quinacridone coral, quinacridone magenta, phthalo blue, ultramarine blue, transparent red oxide, phthalo green (blue shade), and indigo
A .05 Pentel pointliner that I’ve been testing out
An old Pentel water brush that I filled with river water :)
And a shop towel (not shown)
I used to keep a basket of finished mini books on my desk when we lived Austin and I really miss having them around. They’re so easy to make, take up no room in your pack, and aren’t too precious. Here’s a video on how to make one.
That’s a Wrap
That’s it for this update, whew! I didn’t forget about reviewing the art supplies that I mentioned in the last update — I just ran out of time — stay tuned for that and more.
Thanks so much for following along on our advantures! — Lisa, Jason & Walter-the-Van
I love this so much!
Thanks Lisa, Love the sketches.