‘Nature always wears the colours of the spirit.’ - Ralph Waldo Emerson
Creating With Nature
Walking and sketching outside encourages you to explore and discover in nature, resulting in you developing a stronger connection to the landscape.
I am an Environmental Artist and I take my art outdoors to create with nature, whatever the weather. Outside in the elements I feel energised with the wind and rain on my face, connecting with the weather, leaves and the trees to create nature’s art. It’s a whole creative experience for me. I love to sketch on my walks and with my small sketch-kit bundled in my rucksack. Off we go out of the door, on a new adventure, excited to discover who will join me.
I sketch landscapes before me or nature’s treasures I discover along the way. Both give me a stronger connection to a place, recording them in my memory and on my page. Sketching little things helps you to discover the art of seeing, looking closer at the detail, and you really do start to notice things you never did before. You form a connection with what you are sketching and creating with, opening up a whole new world to you, which takes you to magical places all within a few feet away. This can provide some much-needed time-out in nature, which we all need now, more than ever. Nature journaling is the perfect way to learn to see and connect, and I often have a little beetle or spider rocking up on my page to share the experience with me. That’s all part of it too for me.
Sketching under Beech Tree
Painting a Scots Pine Cone in the sunshine
It is very rare to find me creating indoors, as I have become even more connected to nature recently, through drawing and painting with trees and the wind in the garden or high up on the Ridge. I love watching the brushes dance in the wind with the trees as they tell their story with ink on the page. By immersing yourself and taking the time to see things from a different perspective, you will begin to connect with nature in a more meaningful way. I live so close to nature and the countryside and I have been lucky to watch the leaves emerge from the Beech tree which painted the sketch below. There’s something special about that connection we now have.
A Beech Tree & Wind Painting with inky Paint Brushes on Hergest Ridge
If you see something which captivates you, you start wondering, What is it? What is it called? You want to place it in our World. Then you begin a wonderful adventure, discovering all the facts about it, building a story and a connection. Sharing knowledge about our natural world inspires me and this has grown throughout my life, both through my curiosity and my full-time job in Conservation working across the UK.
Discovering and identifying Nature
Close up of an Ash Tree Fruiting
My adventures are often filled with encounters with nature, which makes them more exciting and fun. I thought I would share one with you below:
Painting with Nature & the Weather
Out of the door and into the storm, wrapped up ready for the weather upon me. Wind and rain on open ground blowing through and around, connecting and creating with the natural world as the sounds of nature swirl around me.
With a clipboard and card taped down securely, watercolour pigment drops fell and with the rain, danced across the page. I added leaves, seeds, lichens onto the board, to be blown by the wind to create nature’s art with the help of the weather.
Under the Himalayan Fir tree for shelter, I close my eyes and transport myself to the land the tree was from. I breathe in the air, feel the rain on my face, connecting with nature. Whilst the birds call, a tiny spider crawls up onto me and a squirrel comes over to see what it’s all about. For one moment, I thought it was going to walk across my inky page I had left out, to let nature play about.
These creative moments in nature energise me as I connect with what is around me and to the landscape. Whatever the weather, there is always something you can do, to feed your creativity, and it is healthy too.
Painting with Nature, Rain with Dr Ph Martin Watercolour
Rain Painting with Dr Ph Martin Fine Art Watercolour
‘A drawing is simply a line going for a walk’. - Paul Klee
A Walking Sketch, lines drawn as I walked along, without looking down and maintaining the pencil contact with the paper at all times.
So, whatever the weather you can create, with nature out of the door, discovered beneath your feet. All of this is within your reach. Just have fun playing with nature for Nature Journaling Week.
See more of Katherine’s work on her website www.thewalkingsketchbook.co.uk and on Instagram @thewalkingsketchbook.