Yosemite backcountry sketchbook 2017

Once again, this year I had the opportunity to go to Yosemite National Park in July for twelve days (see here for my 2016 trip stories and sketches). Four nights, five days of wilderness backpacking followed by seven days six nights of volunteering for Yosemite Conservancy. Below are the images from my backpacking trip.

I used a small, handmade sketchbook using landscape shaped scraps of watercolor paper, painted cardboard box covers, and nylon yarn as binding. My tools were a Pigma Micron 01 pen, a Pigma Sensei 06 pen, Aquash large and medium size water brushes, and my own mini palettes of Daniel Smith watercolors (sixteen total colors). The last three pages I finished coloring when I got to Yosemite Valley on the afternoon of Day Five. The rest I completed on site, in the backcountry. All except the rout map were painted from memory or en plein air, not from photographs.

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I also returned to an old favorite format: 6-inch by 6-inch squares, which I brought on my 2014 trip to Yosemite while I was completing work for the 50|50 show, a 50-day process of creating fifty works, all measuring six inches by six inches. I love the small square format, and Fluid Watercolor paper from Global Art Materials, Inc., comes in a great portable block that fits in my front pack in the backcountry. I love the Fluid “Easy Block” because it’s easy to remove finished paintings in the field (a key feature for backcountry sketching). Also, the paper is acid-free and archival, meaning the finished pieces are ready to be mounted or framed.

Stay tuned for images from my Yosemite Valley week…to be posted after I get back from Gettysburg!

Gearing up for Gettysburg!

Fresh from a trip to the mountains of Yosemite National Park, I’m now getting geared up for my 2017 residency in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania! Last year, I spent thirty days sketching, walking, biking, and painting in Gettysburg National Park. I came home and shared my work in an exhibition at the Half Moon Bay Library in my hometown.

Next week, I’m going back for one action-packed week of teaching, sketching, exhibiting, and reconnecting with all of the historical significance and natural beauty this place has to offer.

Here’s a list of the things I’ll be involved with in Gettysburg, from July 29 through August 4, 2017:

  • Instagram takeover of Destination Gettysburg’s account! I’ll be posting photos of my adventures and stories during the week on Destination Gettysburg. Be sure to follow this account to keep up with my latest news from the road.
  • Sketch crawl at Gettysburg National Park! Sunday, July 30, 2pm to 4:30pm. Bring your sun protection, hydration, and sketching supplies and wander the park with me. We’ll meet at the Pennsylvania Monument, and you’ll be set free to sketch landscapes, sky, barns, people, nature journaling, and maybe even historical reenactments happening in the park. If you need a prompt or a demo, I’ll happily provide it, or you can simply enjoy your own practice in the company of others. Details here.
  • Hope for the Late-Blooming Creative workshop at Adams County Arts Council! Tuesday, August 1, 6:30pm to 9pm. Part of the Healing HeARTS Initiative presented in partnership with Gettysburg Hospital, this workshop will help you reignite (or discover for the first time) your creative spark! Whether you’re a professional artist needing a kickstart, or someone who has always wanted to make art, you’ll leave this workshop with a renewed sense of your own ability to create with freedom, spontaneity, and joy. Register here.
  • Sketchbook Journaling for Youth Summer Camp at Adams County Arts Council! Ages 10-13, Monday, July 30 through Friday, August 4, 9am to 12pm. Observe and record the world.  This unique camp combines drawing and writing to create expressive journal pages with a visual story on every one. You will work with various media and venture outdoors to create Gettysburg sketches. Register here.
  • First Friday pop-up show at Grant Building in downtown Gettysburg! Friday, August 4, 5pm to 8pm. Exhibition of my work created in Gettysburg, live music, light refreshments, & artist talk at 6:30pm. Some items available for sale. Enjoy a night on the town, where multiple venues in downtown Gettysburg will be featuring artists’ work. Made possible through generous support from Lynda Taylor, Monica E. Oss, and J. Jay Mackie of Gettysburg. Details here.

I hope you’ll follow along on social media or join me in person for one of these events!

Stay tuned for a gear report on the supplies I’m bringing on this trip…

Instagram: @drlisachu Facebook: wildtomatoarts Twitter: @drlisachu

Before and After: Gettysburg-inspired Community Quilt in Half Moon Bay

Today was finally “Uninstall Day” for my Gettysburg in 2016 installation at Half Moon Bay Library. It had been extended by two weeks, and I was excited to see how FULL the jar of fabric squares was today. Visitors were invited to write their responses to the excerpt from Lincoln’s Gettysburg address presented on a muslin painted panel above them.

And now, my work is to make these squares into a community quilt of our own words, in 2016, resonating with Lincoln’s ideas in the present moment. I have some sewing to do!

Gettysburg 2016 Limited Edition Notecards Now Available!

I’m pleased to release this series of eight designs, each created on location in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, during my September 2016 artist residency there.

These cards will be available for a limited time only on this site, so you are encouraged to place your orders as soon as you can.

Each folded card is blank inside, and is printed on 150-pound, luxurious, eco-friendly bamboo paper, with a watercolor paper envelope. The paper is uncoated, so will accept inks without smudging. Card dimensions: 5″ by 7″.

All cards are individually wrapped in a clear sleeve.

Set of 4 cards (any single design): $19.99

Set of 8 cards (variety pack with one of each design, or single design): $35.99

USPS Priority Mail Shipping: $5.95

Sales Tax (California shipping addresses only): 9.5%

International shipping — please contact me with your shipping address for an estimate on shipping costs

ORDER NOW

Design options:

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8-pack assorted designs (one of each design in the set): $35.99

Set of 8 assorted designs
Set of 8 cards – one of each design
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Thoughts on the power of our stories

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If you’ve followed me on Instagram (@drlisachu), you’ve seen pages from my daily illustrated journal practice called “Before 10am”, which I’ve kept since July 2016…that’s over 150 consecutive days so far! I have kept a written journal for many years of my life, but only recently, in 2013, did I start playing with blank pages of a sketchbook, permitting not only words and sentences to appear on the page, but also colors, lines, shapes, scribbles, collage, and other experimental images. This liberating practice has led me and followed me through the daily routine of home life, to wilderness adventures in several national parks, and everything in between. This one new habit has changed my life by deepening my observations of the world around me, and slowing me down each day to reflect on what I have experienced. It has also given me an object to share with others, and a way of connecting with people around the world via social media.

I just returned from a road trip to Death Valley National Park, where I celebrated my birthday. While there, I learned that “Timbisha” is the Shoshone name for their home (which we call “Death Valley”). The word “Timbisha” refers to the sacred red color of the rocks in the area, and symbolizes the future, or the way forward. As Park Ranger Alexandra, a geographer who led a brief program in one of the colorful canyons in Death Valley, shared various theories on the formation of the canyons, she also said that many of the Shoshone stories of this place are stories she is not allowed to tell. Continue reading

Yes! Installation Day for “Gettysburg in 2016” at Half Moon Bay Library

Here’s to stretching beyond our comfort zones.

This morning I installed the pieces of my exhibit at Half Moon Bay Library for my “Gettysburg in 2016” show. This involved several firsts for me.

  1. I have never worked on this large a scale (36 inches by 72 inches) before.
  2. I have never used fabric and yarn in my work before.
  3. I have never hung a fabric work from the ceiling before.
  4. I have never exhibited pages from my sketchbook on a wall before.
  5. I have never tried making giclee prints of my sketchbook pages and mounting them on panels for wall hanging.
  6. I have never tried an interactive art piece using fabric before.

I am making this list mostly to remind myself to celebrate today. Everything looks beautiful! I finished installing in about three hours. I managed to use a ten-foot ladder safely. Continue reading

Announcing a new show!

It’s scheduled! I will be creating an installation and visual essay at the Half Moon Bay Library, entitled “Gettysburg in 2016: What does it mean to us today?“. Through whimsical illustrations, mixed media artwork, and visual journals of a traveling artist, viewers are invited to revisit the significance of Gettysburg, the American Civil War, and Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address in our current lives — as individuals, as a community, and as a nation of diverse people.

I’ll be giving an artist talk and video presentation on Sunday, November 13, 2016, at 4pm. Light refreshments will be served at 5pm.

This event is free and open to the public. The installation will be at the library through December 21.

The show will include new works and selected works completed during my recent 40-day residency in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, and surrounding Civil War battlefield sites, museums, and monuments.

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