Forest All-Nighter
June 3, 2022 — A forest all-nighter! Outside McCloud, on a friend’s land with a spectacular view of Mt. Shasta. Day broke with incredible birdsong and sunlight catching the Mt. Shasta first before slowly making its way into the clearing. I’m hoping to paint how the terrain looked at night with the pine trees, like dark isosceles triangle sentries strewn along the line of the foreground, all different heights and sizes, along with a bigger sweeping white fir perhaps? on the left. The backdrop being the brilliant, pulsating, starry sky, right out of Van Gogh. Hopefully can pull this off from memory, although I’ll probably look up the star chart for last night to get the constellations right. Definitely Ursa Major and Ursa Minor were on display.
Actually I just googled it and saved the star charts! Wonderful planetarium app at https://in-the-sky.org/. Maybe having the charts will inspire me to do this painting sooner than later.
Besides the forest all-nighter last night, It’s Friday evening now and I’m home, showered, fed and napped. I just posted Ponderosa Pine on Facebook and Instagram. Tending comments as we speak. I really love this painting and am proud to show it to my social media followers.
And we’re getting rain! It just dumped pretty good and we’re supposed to get more tonight and tomorrow. Always a thrill in NorCal to get rain in the summer. Actually ANYTIME!
If you’re not familiar with the concept of forest bathing, which I’ve been doing my whole life, and perhaps you, too, (we used to call it hanging out in the woods), it has been given a lovely name and is especially touted by the Japanese. I recommend it by day and by night 🙂
Besides telling you about a forest all-nighter and now about forest bathing, I warmly invite you to sign up for the Art Giveaway!
Here is a summary of the book “Forest Bathing” by Dr. Qing Li, the world’s foremost expert in forest medicine. A medical doctor at Tokyo’s Nippon Medical School, he has been a visiting fellow at the Stanford University School of Medicine and is a founding member and chairman of the Japanese Society for Forest Medicine, a leading member of the Task Force of Forests and Human Health, and the vice president and secretary general of the International Society of Nature and Forest.
ABOUT FOREST BATHING: The definitive guide to the therapeutic Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku, or the art and science of how trees can promote health and happiness
Notice how a tree sways in the wind. Run your hands over its bark. Take in its citrusy scent. As a society we suffer from nature deficit disorder, but studies have shown that spending mindful, intentional time around trees–what the Japanese call shinrin-yoku, or forest bathing–can promote health and happiness.
In this beautiful book–featuring more than 100 color photographs from forests around the world, including the forest therapy trails that criss-cross Japan–Dr. Qing Li, the world’s foremost expert in forest medicine, shows how forest bathing can reduce your stress levels and blood pressure, strengthen your immune and cardiovascular systems, boost your energy, mood, creativity, and concentration, and even help you lose weight and live longer.
Once you’ve discovered the healing power of trees, you can lose yourself in the beauty of your surroundings, leave everyday stress behind, and reach a place of greater calm and wellness.
