Art & Adventure

Hi! I’m Annastasha, painter and maker. And I have something wonderful to share with you. I’m going on an adventure! I’m calling it my ART & ADVENTURE. 

I’m going to California and then to Utah, from Florida. I’m traveling over 2,000 miles with my baby and two dogs, while my husband is deployed for the next 3 months. I leave in just a couple weeks, and I’m super excited to go on this trip! 

My goals of my trip are; to capture in photograph, sketch, and painting, the western landscape and especially wildfires—because that’s what I paint, as many of you know. 

I want to reconnect with the landscape. I’ve been in the south now for over 6 years. We were not in the south for just 9 months in those six years, but it’s been a long time since I’ve spent extended time back home in California and Utah, where a lot of my inspiration comes from as well as the support of family and friends out there. 

What I’m asking of you today is to help donate towards my trip. I’m going to need money for my gas to get out there. There’s going to be a lot of driving around as I drive to sites and possible wildfires out in the area to capture the inspiration and things that I need to create more of my paintings and understanding of my subject. 

Why I paint wildfires: 

To help bring optimism and hope to people in their lives, especially in their difficult times and remind them they are resilient just like mother nature is. And to draw a parallel between our lives and mother nature. We go through difficult things, and I believe that God gives us difficult things to deal with—most the time those things are not because of our choices—so that we can learn and grow and change. But it’s up to us to figure it out. 

Sometime we don’t understand how we learn and grow and transform until after we have some distance from those difficult times. So, that’s why I paint my wildfires. And a lot of times I paint them from a step back perspective to see a grander picture, to see how colorful and beautiful they are but yet terrifying, or dramatic, or inspiring. 

I really hope to share my message with more people. So if you know other people that would like my work, please share my work and my videos as I make them. I plan to share a lot about my trip; the things I see, think, and write about. 

It’s going to be a struggle. There’s going to be good times, there’s going to be bad times. It’s going to be hard with everything on my plate with a baby, two dogs, and my husband gone, but I really believe I can do it. And I know I can with your support whether through donations or just sharing my work or giving me feedback. Thank you so so much for listening to me today and supporting me in whatever way you can. Thank you!

DONATE HERE!!! Join in this pioneering trip with your pledge of support! I can't wait to share updates of this experience and the artwork I'll be making. 

Autumn: A Reflective Season

Today, I felt autumn all around me as I walked with my dogs and baby around my neighborhood. Leaves now line the gutters and skip down the road with the brisk wind. With a chill in the air and a cloudy sky, every part of me rejoiced in the changes of nature at this time of year. And then immediately after my joyful moment, several memories came to my mind.

My mind thought of Utah, where I went to school, and the beauty of the changing colors on the mountains and canyons. I also thought of and felt Ireland in the chilly air. I went there three years ago with my younger sister and it was the epitome of a chilly, windy, and cozy fall adventure. And then last year I went to Asheville, NC with my husband to see the beautiful changing leaves of the Blue Ridge mountains. These are just physical places that came to my mind, but my thoughts go deeper as I contemplate how those places made me feel and my experiences there.

Cliffs of Moher, Ireland. 2012.

Yoga in nature at the bottom of a waterfall. Asheville, NC. 2014.

I think fall is a perfect time of year to reflect on the past and prepare for the future as a new year draws closer. With nature physically slowing down and there being less light, it’s as if mother earth is telling us to slow down and reflect on life. I love this season, I love how it makes me think and feel, and I am grateful that God created this beautiful world for us to enjoy.

I encourage you to take time and space to breathe in the new season of nature and maybe a new season in your life. I know I am. My new season is mothering a new baby and learning this role as his caretaker. It’s a glorious time in my life and I’m glad I have this time of year—autumn—to again accompany me through what will be another special time to remember. 

What memories does autumn hold for you? Good? Bad? Is there another season you feel connected to or that brings back memories?

A Journey from Darkness into Light

One year ago today—March 13, 2014--- we lost our second pregnancy, our daughter named Poppy. The story was the same as our first daughter Daisy. They were healthy babies, my body just couldn't hold them in. My cervix failed my baby and during her 20th week and she was born too early. I was strong and brave through her birth, and then at our final goodbye I felt my heart go numb.

I was in shock and the grief didn't hit me till she was physically from our presence. The grief in the following weeks was the most difficult time of my life, it was dark and scary. I knew this would happen, I had been through it once before, but now the grief seemed to compile. The morning after we lost her, I looked out the hospital window to watch the sun come up and thought to myself, “The hardest part is living each day without her.” I took a picture of that sunrise. To me, this scene was a reminder. Poppy was born at night, and here the new day was coming. The world did not stop, even though ours felt still. That sunrise symbolized the beginning of our grieving process. It was also a symbol of hope, that light will be found in our life again once healing takes place.

Sunrise, March 14, 2014

Their short lives each taught me something different, and I try to remember that. My daughters inspired me to serve others while grieving, find a way to give others hope, and to find the light again in my life. One of the ways they inspired me was to create the “Wishing Tree” a community art project I started on Poppy’s due date in July 2014. I used the only tree in my front yard to hang my wishes on white tags, and invited my community to do so as well on our tree. Before too long our tree was full of white tags with heartfelt, and personal wishes. This act alone, of others participating in my art project, helped me to heal. Art is powerful, it can and does heal the heart, mind, and soul.

The first year after a loss is incredibly difficult, it has been a journey from darkness into light. As this day passes, it marks more progress in my healing, more light in my life, and more dedication to my art. When I have hard days or self-doubt I think about my daughters, and how they would want me to keep creating art because with each piece it has a little of them in it too. All my life experiences—as with any creative—directly influences the work I create, whether conscious or not. Remember this next time when you view or even collect artwork. Art is the visual story of a person’s soul whether seen or sensed, it is there. This is the most powerful aspect of art, the human experience interacting with creativity. Truly the heart, mind, soul, and life experiences of one person comes together in a work of art and shows the struggle, joy, errors, and thoughts of creating.

I share my personal story with you today not to make you sad or gain pity, but that you may know the influence of art in my life, the healing it has brought, and part of my life experience that influences my work--My Daughters.

Annastasha

 

News Article

Wishing Tree Video

 

Special Thanks to Sarah Savage Photography for the photos to commemorate Daisy and Poppy as well as filming and editing the official Wishing Tree Video.

My Beginnings: How I became and Artist

One of my early paintings from childhood. Circa 1995. I entered this in a "Reflections" art contest for school in 3rd grade. Titled "The Lookout" here's what I wrote as a child: "Sometimes kitties have to 'lookout' from inside to the outside world. My kitty is lucky. He sees the outside world from outside! At the 'lookout.'" At this age, I had my own 'lookout' point at home, that looked over hills and valleys. One of my favorite hidden spots among the trees of our property. My experiences with nature have always influenced my artwork.

 I spent the first 18 years of my life in Southern California, near the beach. The ocean was beautiful and I enjoyed being on the beach a lot. The colorful plants, flowers, cliffs, and sunsets on the shore inspired me. These were often the subjects of my childhood paintings. The landscape of Southern California—and most of California, when not covered in houses—is beautiful. I miss it.

     I have had an attachment to nature my whole life. Playing outdoors with the leaves, twigs, mud, bushes, and trees--that was the kind of kid I was and the childhood I had. I loved road trips and observing the changing scenery. I loved hiking and connecting with nature. I loved, and still love, the energy I felt when I am among nature.

     I grew up the middle child with four sisters, Mom, Dad, and pets.

     Creating art and crafts along-side my creative and artistic mother was a staple of my childhood. We did just about every medium you could imagine. I especially loved creating with her as a child because it was fun making things and learning from her.

     My father builds houses for a living. He is very handy and creative when it comes to fixing things and solving problems. I attribute my hard work, preciseness, building, and tool handling to him (and his parents). I’ll never forget the time he let my sister and I have extra pieces of wood from a job site so we could make a chair to sit on outside. Our chair was nothing more than three pieces of wood and a few nails—it wasn't sturdy at all and only lasted a little while—because 9-year-old me and 8-year-old sister were building it. But it was a great memory I have of learning independence, creativity, and resourcefulness. Today, I build my own panels to paint on and I love that building and woodworking is part of my creative process as it has been part of my father’s own career.

     My family members have always supported me in making art; buying supplies, hanging my work in their homes, and taking me to shows and museums in Los Angeles as a child. I am ever grateful for their continual support.

     This is my beginnings; inspired by nature, supported by family, and fueled by some genetics, but mostly a desire to create meaningful work that explored the natural world we live in. Creating art flows naturally from my head, hands, and heart. This is one of my life callings, and I am ever grateful for the opportunity to create art that shares my perspective and love of nature.

Peace,

Annastasha