OUTSIDE NEW YORK CITY

TRAVELLING IS ONE OF THE BEST EDUCATIONS, LEARNING HOW OTHERS LIVE, EAT, THINK… (JENNIFER ORKIN LEWIS).

*Flowers, buttlerflies, plants: her work is inspired by the everyday small things*

JENNIFER ORKIN LEWIS (AUGUST WREN IN ART) IS AN ARTIST, TEACHER, AUTHOR AND ILLUSTRATOR. SHE IS BASED IN A BEAUTIFUL VILLAGE OUTSIDE NEW YORK CITY. SHE STUDIED AT RHODE ISLAND SCHOOL OF DESIGN AND SPENT THE FIRST HALF OF HER CAREER AS A TEXTILE DESIGNER AND STYLIST IN NEW YORK CITY . SHE PAINTS WITH JOYFUL GOUACHE (FLOWERS, RANDOM OBJECTS, PEOPLE). SHE IS KNOWN FOR HER INTUITIVE STYLE. THE WATERCOLOR MEDITATIONS ARE WHEN SHE HAS A BIG PIECE OF PAPER, A BRUSH AND NO GOAL… SHE IS AMAZED TO SEE HER SHELF FILLLING UP WITH COMPLETED SKETCHBOOKS.

Myriam Lafuente Soler, giornalista spagnola (di Alicante), collabora per Agenda Viaggi scrivendo in spagnolo e inglese. Ci racconterà con i suoi articoli, le sue emozioni e i suoi punti vista. Una scelta inedita, che aggiunge un tocco internazionale al nostro magazine online.

Milan, Italy.

Alice: How long is forever? White rabbit: sometimes, just one second”. (Lewis Carroll in Alice in Wonderland).

“What was I in the mood to paint today. Nothing really so I went for a walk and picked up some leaves and pods. There is always something to work from…”, you said. Nature, what it is for you?

There are so many times when it’s hard to just get started, sometimes it seems like I will never find inspiration. On days like this nature is an amazing resource that is just constantly around us. It could be something I pick up on a walk, such as the leaves or pods, flowers that I get at the shop, a beautiful landscape I see, or some animals running around the house. It could also be fruit or vegetables I see at the market, a person wearing an amazing outfit or a building that catches my eye.

What are the watercolor meditations?

Watercolor meditations are when I have a big piece of paper, a big brush and no goal in mind for the end product. I just get lost in the process of painting, I focus on the way the colors blend together, the shapes and texture that emerge. It is really about mindfulness and being right there in the moment. The piece may not be beautiful at the end but that is not the goal, it’s about the process and not feeling precious about the end product.

*“Spring flowers popping out the ground…the little things we interact with each day have a huge meaning in our lives” (JENNIFER ORKING LEWIS).*

What is “being creative” for you …?

Being creative is about you, what comes from inside of you. To be able to live your life seeing what is around you in a way that inspires you. It’s a way of living and seeing and interacting with things. You only need permission from yourself to see this way. Then that inspiration can come out in your life and art, even if the actual art you make is only a little bit.

You draw cats, flowers, birds, owls, cups or tea… just “beacuse I like them”. You find inspiration in the simple things around you…

Sometimes it seems like it’s important to find the big huge themes to make something significant, but the little things we interact with each day have a huge meaning in our lives. The shape of the bird, its patterns, colors and textures can create joy to observe and to paint. The same for your cup of tea or the early spring flowers popping out of the ground.

What is for you to paint with no expectations? To be intuitive and to forget what are you looking for…

This is about not being precious about each piece that you make. When worry invades the creative process it impedes the goal. When you can get lost in the process intuition takes over and can bring you to a place that you didn’t expect.

A 30 minutes commitment to something you enjoy doing can make your whole day fell better, you advice. Does creative work help to improve your health?

Yes, 30 minutes a day is such a small amount of time but adding that up over years it becomes so many many hours, a significant part of my life. I definitely feel calmer and accomplished when I have finished my daily painting. Like a 30 minute break from other realities.

How was your chilhood? Who introduce you in the Art?

I was a creative child, and it was encouraged in my family. I always drew and painted, it kept me busy and fulfilled most of the time.

Do you like travelling? Do you get inspirations from the countries you visit? Do you think travelling is the best education?

I love traveling and I get so much inspiration from being in a new place. It’s been hard for the last 9 months not really even going too far past my house. Traveling is one of the best educations, learning how others live, eat, think, the customs and the history. I can’t wait to get back out again.