Today, was the last day of #pownaturechallenge😪 So a big thank you to Prince Charles who teamed up with his wildlife charities to create a nature-filled week! It was meant for kids on their half-term break but one post I came across asked - will you join in? So I thought, well, why not! 🙂 Just because it's for children doesn't mean it can't be a source of artistic inspiration 🎨🖌🖍✏🖼for an oldie like me. Besides, it's to do with the environment/nature something I grew up appreciating, loving and respecting so in that sense, it made perfect sense to take part.
Right from the start, my mother encouraged me to connect with nature. Autumn was always fun because I'd collect conkers in my coat pockets and, once home, would 🖼✏ draw them. I'd keep them on display and check in on them and even polish them so they'd look nice and shiny! I would study/read about their life cycle with my mother and I can still recall sitting there drawing the various life stages of the conker. 🌰
My other favourite thing to do in Autumn was going on walks with my mother and picking up and looking at the fallen leaves 🍃🍁🍂 on the ground. Their colour, shades of colour, shapes, types, textures, patterns, scent and feel. This started a life-long passion for trees🌲🌳🌴. So, this final challenge was right in my ball-park, and, of course, leaves would be my obvious choice for today's symmetry in nature 🌿 challenge which I drew and painted in 3 mediums: colouring pencils, oil pastels, watercolour (my first ever watercolour painting).
My mother always encouraged a hands-on approach. This meant using the senses to learn about nature through touch, smell, sound, sight, and taste when it came to food such as fruit and vegetables, especially when trying out new varieties. I was always allowed to dissect my food to study its structure and, of course, I always wanted to draw what I saw. There's a huge difference between the inside of a strawberry 🍓 compared with an avocado which, as a kid, I found fascinating. I learned about different foods, how they grow, what they look like while 🍇🍈🍊🍋🍌🍍🍎🍐🍑🍒🍓🍅🍆🌽🌶🍄and their health benefits. (Health studies was just part of Biology.) It helps when you're a kid to not only see the food you are going to eat but also to handle it before it's turned into chopped up 🍉 🍠and/or cooked food🍝🌮🍛🍟🍕! Hence, I loved trying out new foods, especially fruit and vegetables, and was never a fussy eater.
Here I am, about to cut a carrot, aged 2:
My fascination with Biology started right there. As did my love for nature❤, the environment ❤ and conservation. ❤
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