Autumn Inspiration

October is my favorite month, and this one was spectacular.  I did very little artwork, but I absorbed all sorts of new inspiration.  Don't know if any of it will ever appear in my work, but my senses are filled.

I went on a cruise with my mom through New England up to Nova Scotia and Quebec.  I had been to Quebec 30 years ago, but I forgot how beautiful it is.  And how very European.

The countryside around Quebec is equally stunning and colorful.  This was one of my favorite buildings.

We visited the site for Anne of Green Gables while on Prince Edward Island.  I enjoyed those books many years ago with my boys and recently enjoyed Anne With an E on Netflix.  It was exciting to walk down Lovers' Lane or the Haunted Woods from the stories, and a beautiful setting overall.

I was really attracted to the simple house shapes in the fishing villages.  These are from Peggy's Cove in Nova Scotia.

I thought I'd get burned out on lighthouses, but we didn't really see that many, and those that we did see were picture perfect.

 And then there were the lobster rolls!  I had 4 of them!

 

Ever since I saw these great pillows in Halifax, I've been obsessed with rug hooking, at least learning about it.  Wish I got the artist's name.

So lots of beautiful sights throughout the trip, but one of the main reasons we went at this time of year was for the fall color.  There were plenty of golds and oranges, but there has been no frost to turn the maples deep red.  Ironically, I had to come home to Portland to get a good dose of color.  We took a trip up to the Japanese Gardens which are spectacular right now.

Another bit of inspiration came from an artist talk/demo I went to at Multnomah Arts Center.  Elise Wagner is known for her encaustic work.  She has developed a method of printmaking using encaustic collograph plates.

Here is the print she made in the demo along side the ghost print.

And one of the plates she uses.  She etches into acrylic plates, adds encaustic wax, textures into that, then prints.

This is the second of the printmaker demos Multnomah Arts Center has done.  I am fascinated by the process, but also quite certain that printmaking is not for me. In fact, I heard the phrase "don't print like a painter" meaning don't make a big mess when you print.  I know exactly what camp I am in and will stick to my paint covered hands and messy edges.  It is fun to learn about new techniques though.