Over the past six months I've spent a lot of time sketching in the wild. Well, some places more wild than others, but always, sketching out there, out in the natural world. I offered courses on sketching in nature to students aged 7 through 86 and we walked trails in our neighborhoods, at local botanical gardens, wetland sanctuaries, college gardens, and natural history museums. All of it, great.

Even with caterpillars falling out of trees and into my hair, with bees buzzing around my head, roosters peeking and pecking over my shoulder, it was all so much more than I had anticipated. I learned about the moon's phases and the history of specific herbs, the details of trees I have ignored for years and insects I finally studied. The biggest lesson of all that I have learned and hopefully taught is that once we slow down enough to look, really look, at the natural world, we will never be bored again. It is an infinite source of interesting observations and facts, at once both bizarre and comforting.

The nature workshops from my Spring and Summer schedule are all wrapped up and now my thoughts are turning to my upcoming travel sketchbook workshop to Italy (Yah!) but if you would like to see some of the pages and moments from my own recent nature adventures, click here.

If you want to see more naturalist artwork, you can check out some of my favorites: Cathy Johnson, Keith Brockie, Lizzie Harper, and Joe Garcia.