Last weekend my sister and I spent some time with our friend Michele who was house-sitting near Otis, Oregon. It was the ultimate girls’ weekend… laughter, wine, great food, peace & quiet…. We hiked what I would consider the ultimate Oregon coast hike: Cascade Head. I’ve lived in Oregon all my life, and never knew what I was missing!

Michele, Jeanie and 'Walter' at Cascade Head

The edge of the earth

Scent of the fir trees

My outdoor experiences this month have been tempting me to become a landscape painter. I have been in a bit of a holding pattern with my artwork. Not doing anything in the studio has its frustrations, but it also gives one time for reflection about what really moves you. This month, I have been totally moved by the beauty of the landscapes I’ve been immersed in. They inspire feelings of peace, energy, curiosity, appreciation and so much more. Writing about these inspirations is frustrating… I’d so much rather try to paint them.

I am looking forward to experiments with some of these ideas when I can finally reclaim my studio. Only a week or two left of sharing with my college-aged daughter. I can hardly walk in there right now. Grr. And hopefully by next summer we will be settled in a place where we can each have plenty of room. Thinking about moving to acreage has also fed my hunger for the land. I grew up on a farm in the Willamette Valley, and I am so nostalgic and lonesome for views like this:

I enjoyed the coast trip so much…. had a chance to visit a great gallery in Pacific City where I saw inspiring work by Michael Schlicting, William Park, and Deborah DeWit-Marchant. Today I will get more inspiration… I’m heading to my critique group, Splash. Nothing new to show, but I’m always fed by communing with other artists.