Blog text and images by Patricia Banks​©​
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Greetings from beautiful Dutch Lake!
 
We canoed around picturesque Dutch Lake and its small islands. The painted turtles luxuriated on sun drenched logs. We delighted at seeing a mother mallard duck with at least nine babies gathered up beneath her. As we chatted with friendly neighbours one evening, we saw a mother turtle working hard to cover her egg clutch in a hole she had dug in the sand. It was fascinating. After a light rain, it was hard to tell where the nest was.
 
The town of Clearwater is the main point to access to stunning Wells Gray Provincial Park. The wild and remote park covers over 5000 square kilometers. We have barely scratched the surface of the many places to experience. There are 39 major waterfalls and over 200 more waterfalls that have not been named! Many more wonderful sights await, from the spectacular mountains and lakes, to rivers and forests. Clearwater Valley Road runs about one quarter of the way through the park, in a north-south direction. There are no other roads. It is a real wilderness area.
 
Last year, we hired a Professional Guide, who took us on a wild scramble up an almost vertical mountainside following the side of Silvertip Falls - a 200 meter high cascading waterfall. It was challenging, fun and exhausting. This time we visited a few 'easier to get to' sites on our own that were close to the main road. There is no cell phone service in the Park, so be prepared. Additionally, there are lots of animals one needs to be knowledgeable about.
 
The views were inspiring and painting outdoors in this area was enjoyable and stimulating.

Blog text and images by Patricia Banks​©
Published July 20166 in Nanaimo Magazine, Voyager Magazine & EyesOnBc Magazine

What is it that awakens inside us and calls us to be one with nature, to be one with the great outdoors?

I am fascinated with every aspect of nature; from the tortured striations and upheaval visually evident in the Rocky Mountains, caused by shifting subterranean plates; to the delicate, translucent veins of a dragonfly’s wings – and everything in between. Even when I’m creating art in my studio: I long to be outside immersed in nature.

There is something tangible, almost palpable, that puts me at ease. And yet I feel more stimulated and excited as person in the open air. I love what George Carlson once said about plein air painting: “Working outdoors or from life puts you in direct contact with the life force, not just the light and the landscape, but also the vitality of the world around you.” That’s profound… contact with the life force, that’s it!

At this moment, paused on a trail in a high altitude forest of Banff National Park, I am mesmerized by the sound of the wind. But it isn’t exactly the wind I hear. It is the sound of millions of delicate little wind chimes, playing a soft melody as it moves through the trembling aspens in front of me. Tall and slender, with white trunks glowing, I visually follow the silvery green, dancing leaves as they quiver and flutter, waving to me. I once read that the Okanagan people used to be able to predict storms from the movement of aspen leaves, even when there was no apparent wind.
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I believe that being in tune with nature is one of the greatest gifts one can nurture. We depend on our reverence of nature for our very survival. It is freeing and life giving! It’s magical! And it is as humbling as it is divine.

Blog text and images by Patricia Banks​©
 
In north-central British Columbia are the hot and dry communities of Ashcroft and Cache Creek. We attended the May 2016 Ashcroft Plein Air Paint Out, which is an important annual event that helps put Ashcroft and Cache Creek on the tourist map. Both Ashcroft and Cache Creek Mayors were in attendance and gave speeches at the Saturday Night Dinner. The towns’ people could not have been more welcoming and hospitable over the three day event. We also met wonderful artists from all over BC.
 
These quaint, historical towns are all about trains. The CPR (Canadian Pacific Railway), divisional rail yards are located in Ashcroft. Trains are constantly coming and going, starting and stopping in both directions at once. Although these are desert communities within the Thompson Nicola region, every time we set up to paint, the sky would open up and rain. So we ducked under a large overhang of a rail yard building to finish our paintings.
 
In the evening, we hiked along the hillside above our campsite to take in the grandeur of the desert views above the Thompson River. The air was filled with incredibly beautiful melodies, solely for our delight! Western Meadowlarks and Lazuli Buntings were trying to out-sing each other. We couldn’t identify the many other songbirds as they would not hold still long enough to pose for a photo op!
 
On to the remote wilds of Wells Gray National Park and delightful Dutch Lake in Clearwater…