My heart is in Vermont

Before I deep-dive into our trip re-cap in Maine, I want to take a moment of pause. Being a northern gal, I hold a soft spot for Vermont. I have visited many times, and like Maine, is a place I’ve made many positive and fun memories! A place with a unique and soothing “hum”, like no other. That hum has been completely muffled by catastrophic rain, and resulting flooding in recent days! A region not prepared for weather events like that. Devistation.

We never really grasp the power behind how Mother Nature designed water…It’s life, but is also death.

So, to all the shopkeepers, growers, builders, rescue-workers, makers and beyond, positivity and support is being sent your way, amidst putting “life” back into what you lost. My heart is with VT 💚

A Quick Thank You

Thank you for taking the time to read what I share….

The words and pictures are equally a part of n’GRAINED, as the physical things I create. Because it all is connected to my experiences…

It’s been a bit of time, and lots to catch up so, let’s get into it!

MAINE ADVENTURE RECAP

I’ve visited Maine almost every summer, since I was little! This year, with roof-tent and all, I was excited to show Jake and Lily my summer ‘stomping grounds’, while inevitably picking up a healthy dose of inspo. for n’GRAINED projects!

If you aren’t familiar, the region, especially the coast, often takes on fog. But, this was next-level 😵‍💫 Even locals conveyed frustration. We enjoyed about 5 hours of sun, over our 10-ish day trip…and everything was damp at camp. I had to have a conversation with myself, more than once, to snap out of being sour about it. Jake and Lily were being great sports!

The pop of color in young cone-lets!

As time went on, with camera on the ready, we embraced how fog and overcast skies offer unique conditions for vibrancy in the woods, and moodiness near the water! Like, the popping of color in young cone-lets! I can’t wait to add these in my watercolor journal! These are Tamarack (type of Larch) cones, spotted on the last leg of our journey, on Swans Island, ME.

In person, the wee cones are very soft, rubbery, and a beautiful rusty red! Interestingly, this variety is/was commonly used for making snowshoes and even paper. They are huge bird attractors too!

Wild Gardens of Acadia

Without being able to see much “vista”, I happily geeked-out while we pondered the Wild Garden’s of Acadia, located in the park itself. So many of the species we spotted on the trail, now in one spot and ID’d! Yes, my phone is full of pics. to fuel new illustration and jewelry projects! A must, if you plan to visit.

Fun fact, if you didn’t know, Acadia N.P is one of the very few National parks in the U.S, that allow doggo’s to enjoy trails too! Lily had great fun meeting other pups, and loved watching her interact with a new place, new plants, new sniff’s, new people! She especially enjoyed the old carriage roads (from Rockefeller days), and the shoreline path around Jordan pond. The skies cleared enough for us to see the iconic boobs, I mean Bubbles, while trekking!

…and OMG, sun!

Stretching the legs of our roof-tent, was a big part of our trip too! We recently shifted to a roof-rack, that’s lower profile, for a handful of reasons. We had been struggling to come up with a good way to get Lily up and in, and on the trip (With assistance), she now jumps onto the tailgate, then on top of a large camping tote box sitting on the tailgate. We clean her toe beans and then she hops about a foot up into the side of the tent. Her growing comfort, with living outside for a little while, and my joy of cooking outdoors, were some highlights for me!

For the rest of the trip, we handed Jake’s camera back and forth (forgot mine in the packing haze), when either of us caught moments and nature treasures, worthy of capturing for memory and creativity! Here are a few more from our trip!

STUMPS + SPACE

It’s been a bit of time, since I’ve crafted a collection of new pieces for you! I’ve been a bit hungry to get my hands dirty in the studio! I think it’s time…

But, while co-piloting on the road, I did some reflecting of my productivity. “What’s lending to the energy suck from getting in the studio?” (And what can I do about it…). I was reluctant to admit that it was space. Because more studio = less storage, being I have my setup in our garage. After some talking through, Jake and I made a great shift to my setup!

…more room for activities!

This temporary hot-mess of a studio I share above, is actually offering more room for activities! With this added space I can keep the tools/supplies needed for each of my tasks accessible, and in it's own dedicated spot! Previously, I was fighting for space, and it resulted in not only a buzz-kill from going out to my cluttered studio, but quenching design ideas while in the flow. I acknowledge that I don’t work well when I have to stop, clear my space off, put something away, pull out other tools, then move everything back, and resume…for a task that only takes a few seconds. I need it all in front of me.

**Now, each task has it’s own spot…**

That leads me to another exciting addition to the studio…a log! For my anvil! With every blow of the hammer, the bits and baubles living on the same table as the anvil, will inch their way off the edge lol. Not anymore, thanks to some large logs Lily and I spotted last summer! Now anvil work will have its own area, free of things vibrating off my work bench.

With the help of Jake’s muscles, we snagged a decent size log, threw it in the truck bed, and then right into my studio! She needs a little leveling out, but a shingle can help with that. Wahoo!

My Maine Inspiration

I have a VAST amount of inspiration from our trip, and am really excited to start formulating how I want to translate and interpret the beauty of Maine into illustrations and jewelry pieces.

New patterns and jewelry on the horizon…

I’ve already started penciling in, in collage-like style, many of the native species we discovered at the Wild Gardens in Acadia! I look forward to evolving this with intention, into another surface pattern for use on fabrics and printed goods! I haven’t decided what my approach will be, for adding watercolor, and how precise I want to be. See how I feel in the moment…

This afternoon, I’m happily taking a few hours to re-visit all our pics, seeing what jumps out at me, and working out ways of translating the plants, the views, the trails, the essence of Maine, into wearable pieces!

I look forward to sharing more updates on what evolves from a damp trip, turned inspirational adventure!

Originally shared via e-mail in 7/2023

Maine Adventure Recap!