Nature journaling at FGCU
On February 11th and 18th I visited Professor Mary Voytek’s Environmental
Art class at Florida Gulf Coast University in Ft. Myers. One of the projects for class is to keep a
nature art journal – a wonderful and effective tool for exploring our natural
world. I shared my own nature journals
and a presentation on how to use watercolor pencils with ideas on themes, as
well as a wealth of reference books and art tools. No better way to spend the hours than to explore
art and nature!
This is my third or fourth annual visit here, and each time I
get to connect with a brand-new group of students. And
each time, I’m inspired by their creativity and unique viewpoints. Some of the students are artists, some are
environmental or biology majors. They
share one thing in common: all are invested in our environment.
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| In the studio: drawing and painting natural specimens that resonated with each artist. |
Part 1 (Feb. 11)
Because the class session is nearly three hours long, we
have a nice chunk of time to draw after my part is done. The found nature objects brought in to class
for drawing range from pine cones to a sand dollar and shells, to leaves and
wood and a dead honeybee. And – wow! –
the range of expression is quite remarkable.
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| Observation is the key to a great drawing! | Mary and Elizabeth,and the joy of making art. |
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| Completed artwork from our class time. Sharing at the start of our Food Forest jaunt. |
Part 2 (Feb. 18)
The week following our indoor class time typically takes us
to the Food
Forest at FGCU, and we spend our class hours drawing the plants and trees
that line the trails. Professor Voytek
fills us in on the history of how one student’s initiative brought the Forest
into being. The project emerged into
reality in 2011, and the half acre site continues to thrive (even after
Hurricane Irma!), serving as a classroom and a food source, but also as a space
for inspiration. Apart from the cycles
of predator-and-prey, it is a safe place for living things, with no pesticides
or herbicides used.
So yes, there are honeybees and spiders, and the occasional
black snake. They are as essential to
the ecosystem as butterflies, birds, and bunnies. It makes me happy to see the abundance of
pollinators busy doing their job, buzzing from flower to flower, trying to
dodge the large humans blocking their flight path.
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| ohana means welcome in the Hawaiian language, but it also honors community and our connections to each other. | The new signs are filled with useful information. |
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| Sketching a Firebush. | The smile says it all! |
My mission there is to inspire these artists, but they
inspire me in turn. I feel competent to
guide someone through a sticky color choice or a composition question, but only
when needed, and it’s not needed often. This
is an invested and mindful group (regardless of skill level), so I get to do
more admiring than assisting! They
inspire me with their unique viewpoints, willingness to take a risk and try new
materials, and even their choice of subject.
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| Sharing after our outing. |
The Food Forest is free and open to the public. It’s created by students, maintained by
students, and promoted by students. This
is their website (by students, of course!) for more information: http://fgcufoodforest.weebly.com/
Click on images to view larger.
Online about FGCU’s Food Forest
Online about FGCU’s Food Forest
My past
post on the Food Forest
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