Art Adventures - by Patricia Banks©
Published June 2016 in Nanaimo Magazine, Voyager Magazine & EyesOnBC Magazine
Tonight as I drift off to sleep in the ultimate silence of “Big Sky Country” camping in southwestern Montana, I am reminded of Henry Moore’s statement, “There’s no retirement for an artist, it’s your way of living so there’s no end to it.”
In April, we decided to attend the Plein Air Convention & Art Expo in Tucson, Arizona. To change things up a bit from previous years, we planned a four month Plein Air (outdoor) painting, hiking and camping adventure. My first-hand experience of the beauty of the natural landscape inspires my artwork. Our circle tour from Vancouver Island through seven US states, and British Columbia, was designed to take in the unique splendor of many American and Canadian National Parks. We immersed ourselves in a wide variety of discoveries, spectacular geography and geological features, history, and culture.
An artist is privileged to see the world differently, to see with an “artist’s eye”. My vision, as an artist, moves me to see beauty in every living thing. Nature fills my senses with immense reverence and great joy! I need to share this vision and the positive energy I absorb from the environment. So, I am squarely immersed in my life’s unending work – painting the grandeur of this incredible planet that is our home. Therefore, a traditional retirement for me is not an option!
Retirement is different for everyone. It happens at a certain age, or when we are at a certain place in our lives, or when it is time to fulfill some long awaited dreams! But, it can also be a brief pause to get revved up again, to become re-excited by new opportunities and new adventures. It offers a chance to see one’s life from a new perspective, to make changes, to become re-engaged, and to be open to new possibilities – to see with an artist’s eye!
Published June 2016 in Nanaimo Magazine, Voyager Magazine & EyesOnBC Magazine
Tonight as I drift off to sleep in the ultimate silence of “Big Sky Country” camping in southwestern Montana, I am reminded of Henry Moore’s statement, “There’s no retirement for an artist, it’s your way of living so there’s no end to it.”
In April, we decided to attend the Plein Air Convention & Art Expo in Tucson, Arizona. To change things up a bit from previous years, we planned a four month Plein Air (outdoor) painting, hiking and camping adventure. My first-hand experience of the beauty of the natural landscape inspires my artwork. Our circle tour from Vancouver Island through seven US states, and British Columbia, was designed to take in the unique splendor of many American and Canadian National Parks. We immersed ourselves in a wide variety of discoveries, spectacular geography and geological features, history, and culture.
An artist is privileged to see the world differently, to see with an “artist’s eye”. My vision, as an artist, moves me to see beauty in every living thing. Nature fills my senses with immense reverence and great joy! I need to share this vision and the positive energy I absorb from the environment. So, I am squarely immersed in my life’s unending work – painting the grandeur of this incredible planet that is our home. Therefore, a traditional retirement for me is not an option!
Retirement is different for everyone. It happens at a certain age, or when we are at a certain place in our lives, or when it is time to fulfill some long awaited dreams! But, it can also be a brief pause to get revved up again, to become re-excited by new opportunities and new adventures. It offers a chance to see one’s life from a new perspective, to make changes, to become re-engaged, and to be open to new possibilities – to see with an artist’s eye!
