About This Here Blog
Hi, I’m Laura and this is my blog, The Art of Exploration. The Art of Exploration is a virtual scrapbook, a photo journal, and a trip diary all wrapped into one. It’s where I stash my (occasional) artwork, travel writings, and miscellaneous thoughts about being outside, seeking new sights, and exploring new landscapes.
But The Art of Exploration isn’t just about finding new places to explore. It’s also about revisiting favorite spots and retracing well-worn paths time and again to see familiar places in fresh light.
Exploration for me isn’t an endeavor confined to foreign locations—it thrives in the most ordinary of places too. Exploration is about the way you look at a place, the things you notice and the timing of your visit. Nature is always changing our surroundings—weather, seasons, growth, and decline all affect the composition of natural communities and human landscapes alike. And just as places change, we change—our response to our surroundings is rarely the same twice.
For me, art is a natural extension of exploration. The creation of art offers us a way of capturing those special moments when we encounter something that moves us. Art allows us, in our own unique way, to convey the great value of exploration.
Keeping this blog helps to remind me that every time we step outside, we have the opportunity to explore. All we have to do is open our eyes to something new, something different and allow ourselves to be surprised by how much there is to discover.
Assortment
- Lakewood Forest Preserve
- After three months of biking eastward along the North Shore Bike Path, it was time to venture in the opposite direction. The only westbound bike path within reasonable distance of my house was the Millenium Path.
- Season Pass
- Today Phil and I drove up to Rocky Mountain National Park for our first visit since moving here. Since the park pass we purchased over a year ago had expired, it was time to purchase a new season pass.
- Shoulda Woulda Coulda
- Every time I visit places west of the 100th meridian, I realize how much I miss making art. There is something about the light and the colors in the rock and the warmth of the sun that makes me want to be outside sketching and painting and drawing.
