Weather Diary
Nineteen years ago, in the Spring of 2006,
I had the opportunity to travel to
Ocracoke Island off the coast of North Carolina,
to live and work at my art.
(This ‘Artist Residency’ was actually a
50th birthday gift from my husband Doug Brown,
the only one who knew of my desire to become a
hermit in order to produce some new work.)
I wanted to focus on drawing, using materials I
hadn't used in a while -
primarily oil pastels, watercolour pencils, chalks and
graphite.
I set off on my month-long pilgrimage with these
materials and lots of drawing surfaces.
It is a seventeen hour drive from Peterborough
Ontario to Ocracoke NC.
I was to live in a cottage, (sight unseen), in
Ocracoke Village,
just me and our three-year-old black lab, Chester.
It wasn't long before I fell into the rhythm of island life.
I wanted solitude so as to work without distraction.
Yes, I had that.
And I wanted the sea.
Whatever was happening with regard to my artwork
and the weather,
each day included a long ramble on the glorious
Ocracoke Island beach, the wide open
Atlantic-facing expanse of bliss.
This daily beach walk led to the creation of a
series of works entitled 'Weather Diary',
one-a-day drawings infused by the sea, sand,
dunes and wild moody skies - the elements -
that found their way into me.
You can view the art,
and read about my 'Weather Diary' pilgrimage
here:
