Art with a Message USA Tour Continues - from the Geysers of Yellowstone to Endless Cornfields

Our next stop was Yellowstone, Wyoming. Famous for its geysers, hot springs and fossil forests, Yellowstone has over half the thermal activity of the whole planet!

 

We stopped into the city of Cheyenne, the colorful cowboy capital of Wyoming. It’s population of 50,000 mirrors the fact that the entire state only has around half a million inhabitants. The city was named after the Cheyenne nation, one of the most famous and prominent tribes of the Native North Americans that once thrived on the western Great Plains. Along with the Sioux they were instrumental in the defeat of Custer and his forces in the Battle of Little Big Horn.

 

Next was the state of Nebraska, that continued the cowboy tradition of Wyoming. Vast plains and low-lying hills surrounded us. Bruce and I stopped into the town of Ogallala and mingled with the locals.

 
Our introduction to the state of Iowa was the watercolor pink hues of sunrise on a crisp foggy morning. The barren plains of Wyoming were replaced with rolling green hills and lush farmland.

Once the morning sunlight had penetrated through the fog, we realized that we were surrounded by 380 degrees of corn!!!!

There was no time to waste however as we sped on our way through this picturesque state. 

Leisa
www.leisacollins.com 
leisa@leisacollins.com 

Art in Action - Launching an Online Forum for Children and Art

Working with children in the field of art is always an inspirational endeavor.  Quite often, however, when young artists complete works of art they don't have a forum to show their art on a broad scale and let the world know how talented they are!

That’s why I created a new blog called the Leisa Collins Online Art Gallery for Kids; and I hereby dedicate it to the children of the world and encourage them to create art.  After all, it is their creation that will bring about a brighter future for everyone.

This blog was conceived at a painting session and free art lesson I conducted on the lawn of the State Capitol building in Sacramento, California, USA.  As you can see from this article in the Capitol Weekly the purpose of the event was to protest the slashing of school art funding and promote the responsibility of artists and parents to fill the void.  Below are photos taken at the event.

Leisa and Sarah

Leisa and Angela

My Message to Young Artists:

If you are between the ages of 3 and 15 years old and would like your artwork to be part of this online gallery, scan each piece of art or take a close-up digital photo and email it to me at leisa@leisacollins.com. You must also include the following information so it can be included with your work:

a)  Your full name

b)  Your age

c)  The city, state and country that you live in

I look forward to seeing YOUR creations and including them in this special online gallery for young artists!

I am proud to present the two works below by aspiring young artists from the Sacramento area who took part in the free art lesson at the State Capitol.  These works of art are the very first exhibits to be placed in our online gallery for kids.

Sarah Benessini, 10 years old, Sacramento CA

Angela Miller, 10 years old, Sacramento CA

Share this link to my new blog - Leisa Collins Online Art Gallery for Kids - with your friends and family, young and old, to give an opportunity for other young artists to display their works through the online gallery as well as more kids art projects to come.

Leisa Collins

www.leisacollins.com

Art with a Message Lands on the Moon and Discovers Cowboy Land!

There was a marked change in the landscape as we cruised along the Oregon side of the Columbia River. We discovered unique rock formations, some square and jagged while others were rounded and “sponge-like”. Union Pacific trains chugging by from time to time made things even more interesting. Now this, I thought to myself, is art in action!

As we drove east toward Idaho the alpine trees disappeared and a golden landscape of rolling hills extended as far as the eye could see. They call this stretch of road the Oregon Scenic Highway. The message emblazoned on the slope in the photograph below -- Keep Your Forests Green -- shows how passionate Oregonians are about protecting their environment!

We crossed the border into Idaho and shortly thereafter pulled over into a scenic turnout that overlooked a lush valley. Way below we could see what was once called the “Old Toll Road”. In former times it was the main stagecoach route to Idaho City, which at that time was the foremost settlement in the state. If you look closely down into the valley you will see a distant winding road. We followed that trial to Idaho City, now a well preserved historical site.

My husband, Bruce, and I had always considered Idaho to be just one big farm with fields of potatoes and corn and little else. We couldn’t have been more wrong. While there is farming on the plains, we learned that Idaho has more national park acreage than anywhere else in the lower 48 states. One such park was the beautiful Challis National Forest.

Once through the forest we found ourselves in a sort of twilight zone. The surrounding landscape looked as though monstrous farm ploughs had been busy that very morning! We scrambled for the map. Where were we? Craters of the Moon National Park. Those huge mounds of dirt were in fact dried molten rock, the result of massive volcanic activity eons ago.

We learned that Idaho is an eclectic mix of just about everything. When we finally reached civilization we found ourselves in Pendleton -- Cowboy Land! Home to the famous USA made Pendleton shirts. We stopped into a local saloon for lunch and made friends with these local gentlemen. When asked if they were retired their response was “yep, retired and workin”. But on that sunny day they were simply taking it easy and having a friendly afternoon chat over drinks. The prior week, however, had been a different story. Our new friends and the entire community of Pendleton had just hosted an annual rodeo, one of the largest and most famous rodeos anywhere. Hats off and cheers to Pendleton and its residents -- towns like this are what make America a great nation.

With the last light of a long day we spotted the Sawtooth Mountains in the distance and knew that Yellowstone Park and the state of Wyoming were not too far away.

Catch you on our next art with a message action adventure... pardner!

Leisa
www.leisacollins.com
leisa@leisacollins.com

Art with a Message along the Border of Washington and Oregon

Being that our trip through Oregon and the southern part of Washington was conducted in darkness, we decided to go back down the coast so as not to miss anything! We made our way along curving roads, hugged the coastline, noted sheer drops below and marveled at the wonders before us. So much so that it somehow wasn’t surprising to see this “Bridge of the Gods” connecting the beautiful landscapes of Oregon and Washington across the inspirational Columbia River.

As we emerged from a coastal tunnel, before us was a breathtaking view of the Columbia River Gorge from Cape Horn, a massive basalt cliff outcropping on the Washington side of the river. We immediately pulled over into the lookout. Humorously, all four cars that we had been traveling with in a line pulled over in unison and everyone poured out of their vehicles and started taking photos and video footage! The view was an irresistible magnet.

Crossing over the Columbia River from Washington into Oregon, we met a friend, Jason Suess, in the town of Hood River. Born and bred in Washington, Jason is a young retired school teacher who lives in White Salmon and works from home three days a week as an executive representative for ACN, the largest direct seller of telecommunications services in the world. He spends the rest of his time with his wife and two children enjoying life in the great Pacific Northwest.  Jason took us to a chic restaurant and pub overlooking the Columbia River, then showed us the community sights of Hood River, which in one short afternoon became one of our favorite cities -- it integrates small town life with lively city activities such as cool locally run stores, cafes, eateries and art galleries. There was even a movie theatre integrated into a pizza restaurant.  Order pizza, take it into the theatre with wine and refreshments, and sit on sofas in the front row! We talked to the manager who said his new venture was doing very well!

As darkness fell we headed over to Vancouver, Washington where we spent the night at a friends house before heading east toward Boise, Idaho the next morning.

See you in Idaho!

Leisa
www.leisacollins.com
leisa@leisacollins.com

Art in Action in Seattle and the Evergreen State

Continuing our Art with a Message USA Tour, after an all night drive, this majestic sunrise welcomed us into the Evergreen State of Washington.

Highway rest area with signs for “Free Coffee” intriqued us. We pulled into investigate. I spoke to the couple who were running a coffee and cookie stand. Well that was certainly a first! They are part of a group called the Shelton Moose Family Center. The government has a program where they allow selected charities to set up in the rest areas in exchange for donations from the public. Amazing! We helped the cause and grabbed some coffee and homemade cookies for the road.

As we entered the greater Seattle area, we saw these amazing cloud effects. And then the city was before us.

Seattle is a great city. While it has all the bustle and life of a big city one doesn’t loose sight of the beautiful surrounding countryside.

We visited our friends Berndt and Rena Mottl in the Sheepskin and Alpaca store they manage in the Alderwood Mall in Lynnwood, Washington, at the north end of Seattle. I fell in love with the soft warmth of Alpaca and a beautiful wrap they had in their store. So we did a barter deal -- original paintings for Alpaca garments. You can see Bruce and I modeling our new wares in the store, which is filled with great sheepskin and alpaca gifts. Feel free to e-mail Berndt Mottl.

Rena then suggested we go to an Alpaca farm to see the real thing! This became one of the highlights of our Seattle area experience -- a visit to the Casa de Arboles Fine Fiber Farm, an Alpaca and Goat farm to the northeast of Seattle in Monroe, Washington. The owner of the farm, Maggie Di Ulio, is a creative and energetic woman. She runs the farm with her husband, Jim, a skilled veterinarian and an avid fisherman. In addition to Alpaca sales, Casa de Arboles also offers boarding and breeding services, training and mentoring in the Alpaca business, and even Juniper post and timber products. Maggie gave us a top-to-bottom tour of the property. Their custom built log cabin is spectacular, both inside and out, and we learned first-hand that Alpacas have individual personalities. They are dignified and curious creatures and each one is unique, even their hairstyles! Maggie has a great repoire with them as you can see from the photo where one of the Alpaca is giving her a kiss!

There are also goats at Casa de Arboles, including Billy Goats -- “The Colonel” and “Satan”, aptly named studs, are kept well away from the females... most of the time.

The experience inspired me to create “The Personality of Alpaca” painting which is now on display in Berndt’s and Rena’s store.

Maggie commissioned me to do a pen and watercolor painting of her home, which was enormously fun. I also created a painting from one of Maggie's favorite sunrise photos which she routinely captures from the balcony of her log cabin.

The day before we left I presented Maggie with her house portrait!

New places, new friends. We continue to meet creative, energetic people everywhere on our USA Tour, and we treasure each and every one of our new friendships.  What makes life rich and rewarding, after all, is the people with whom we live and share it.

See you on the next leg of our trip...

Leisa
www.leisacollins.com
leisa@leisacollins.com

Art with a Message Makes Tracks in the Pacific Northwest

Continuing our USA Tour, we left Sacramento and made tracks for the fast lane, intent on carrying our Art with a Message and Art in Action mottos up the coast into the great Pacific Northwest and the scenic beauty, both coastal and inland, of Northern California, Oregon and Washington. Dry and relatively barren landscape gave way to lush evergreen wonders.

Our first mission was to find a nice spot to eat our packed lunch. Mission accomplished at Clear Lake. Wonderful spot which we had all to ourselves except for plenty wild life such as this majestic white Heron.

In the late afternoon we stopped for dinner in the delightful community of Arcata on the Northern California coast. The town is a pleasant blend of hippy, retro and alternative life styles. It’s the epitome of northern California living and one thing is for sure... it’s seriously laid back. We chose the Wildflower Café for its interesting menu of vegan home cooking. We ordered a healthy salad and a thirst quenching Amber Ale -- very amber and very tasty! After polishing off the salad and ale we walked directly across the street to the Muddy Waters Coffee Company and bought a large soy latte for the road... and some yummy-but-healthy bakery treats.

The following morning, after admiring the sunrise, it was time for a coffee. We stopped into a little town at the northern edge of California: Willits, the “Gateway to the Redwoods”. We thought Arcata was hippie. It didn’t even come close to Willits. Fascinating stores, psychedelic signs and clothes made for a interesting time. We talked to some of the locals and chatted to a wonderful mother and daughter team in the coffee shot. The elderly mother had a broach pinned above her breast pocket -- a peace symbol, of course!  You can see it in the photo below.

The next stop was the beautiful Redwood National Forest. Known as the “tallest cathedral in the world”, this is a wonderful stop if one wants to reflect on life and marvel at nature. In the damp green depths of the forest I felt the same spiritual ambiance as when I walked into the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.

We drove through Oregon in the black of nigh, but don't worry, we'll be back very soon for a jaunt along the Columbia River Gorge and a visit to Hood River, Oregon. As dawn broke, we entered Washington, the Evergreen State! It somehow felt like home! Just like New Zealand, it was green, lush and cloudy!!!! 

Not long after crossing the border we reached the delightful town of Chehalis. We found a wonderful store called Book n’ Brush where I stocked up on painting supplies. The manager and shop assistant run a wonderful art in action program where they have local artists teach their skills to other locals. They provide inexpensive classes in a wide variety of art media and from the samples I saw there is some real talent in the area.

As I said goodbye and left the store I found a free button which I pinned on immediately because it was an apt message for Americans everywhere: "I Refuse to Participate in the Recession". The pins were made up and distributed compliments of Bald Eagle Cleaning, another local business.

Being that it was early morning and we had more driving ahead of us, we had to visit the bakery and café on the main drag... and I couldn not believe what I found. New Zealand licorice and sweets! We snapped a photo of Sarah in the café displaying the goods. Yum!

Well, we have to get back on the road now, but we love the Pacific Northwest and we're not done with it yet! We're headed to Seattle and the Puget Sound region, then back down to Vancouver, over to White Salmon, and across the Columbia River back into Oregon where we'll spend some time around Hood River.

Care to come along?

Leisa
www.leisacollins.com
leisa@leisacollins.com