Ann Litrel

Nature Journaling, Live a Richer Life

ART AND TEXT BY ANN LITREL

Six women sat facing me on the covered porch of our Georgia mountain cabin. Several made sure to issue a disclaimer about their artistic skills: “I’m just not an artist!” Pen and paper in hand, they waited for me to proceed with the morning workshop session. We were there for a nature journal retreat, a three-day introduction into a unique type of journaling, which combines observing, drawing and thoughtful curiosity. I reassured them that this is not about being an artist.

Keeping a nature journal invites you to slow down, observe, discover and see. The result is a taste of a deeper, richer life. Our first exercise plunged my students into the heart of what it means to experience nature, through a simple journal entry.

Learn to See

I asked each woman to walk out under the trees and find something small they would like to observe, such as a leaf, a stick, a rock, anything that would fit in their palms. When they returned with their treasures, I glimpsed a leaf with yellowing edges, a rock sparkling with mica and a twig draped in lichen. During the next 30 minutes, we walked through how to trace contours onto paper, making notes using the three nature journal prompts: I notice, I wonder, it reminds me of ...

At first, their observations and drawings were simple. A leaf quickly was sketched as a generalized oval, a stick was Charna Hicks’ journal illustration. summarized as grayish bark. But, as we continued, the students bestowed more and more attention upon their objects. Perceptions came into focus, like the beautifully serrated edge of a leaf and the glow of pink in quartz.

Finally, I gave each student a jeweler’s loupe (a small magnifying glass), and asked them what they saw. Each lost herself in her leaf, her rock, her twig. It was like waking up to a world inside a world.

“Oh my gosh. What are those shapes in the rock?”

“Look at these veins … ”

“That is the tiniest spider I’ve ever seen!”

The mist peeks through the trees at Tallulah Gorge.

Discover a New World

As the final exercise, each student drew her object again. My friend and student, Charna Hicks, a former journalist, looked at the difference between her first drawing and her last, clearly surprised that it looked like a different drawing. Her first drawing was a formless set of lines, and her final drawing was a rendering of a unique, detailed twig. The group admired each others’ entries, sharing perceptions about the brief but keenly felt experience of the natural world. During that weekend, we explored the rocky overlooks of Tallulah Falls, stopping at scheduled points for journal lessons. While hiking around the falls, new eyes and sharpened senses took in the roar of the water, fleeting autumn color and the mist that rose out of the canyon. We welcomed our journey into a strange and beautiful land, strange not because it had changed, but because we had.

Ann Litrel is an artist and certified Master Naturalist. She instructs nature journal workshops and paints in her studio, Ann Litrel Art, in Towne Lake.