Art Adventures - May 2020

​​Art Adventures - by Patricia Banks©
Published May 2020 in Nanaimo Magazine and Voyager Magazine

Art Adventures are around every corner! As Dorothy, from The Wizard of Oz said: “There’s no place like home.” Amid the challenges of the current world pandemic, we are counting our blessings even more than usual, as we follow the recommendations to stay at home, as much as possible. It is reassuring to see nature predictably unfolding as it does best, in Springtime - a blessing filled with hope! My garden has never had such focused attention and tender loving care. I have been diligently building garden beds, weeding, watering, fertilizing and nurturing new flowers and plants. Nature has a way of easing the world of woes by immersing us in moments of pleasure. My garden is a visual symphony of painterly music!

​Colourful floral offerings ring out at every turn. Bright yellow daffodils have left the stage and gorgeous crimson, hot orange, and shocking pink tulips have begun to command the audience. Vegetable seeds are popping through the soil in chorus rows and perennials are beginning their crescendo of new growth while tree blossoms carry their tunes high-up in choir branches. There is a melody of colour and fragrance throughout the garden and sweet song birds have returned to add their tunes to the mix. 
Artistic choices are everywhere; the trick lies in deciding what to paint: the entire song or an individual performer? A new voice in my garden this year is the demure creeping phlox. Though it hums in many beautiful varieties, this gentle pink hue sings back-up to the sopranos in this backyard show. I love the low-key elegance of creeping phlox and the simplicity of its physical structure, which makes it fun to draw. Now to select a medium that suits the delicate voice of these light pink flowers.
What close-to-home subject will you paint on your next Art Adventure? Stay safe and be well! Cheers, Patricia