Feeling Overwhelmed?

FOREST BATHING WITH LEDA

Woodland Sketching Best Cure for Stress

WHOEVER SAID "stop and smell the roses" would appreciate the health craze called Forest Bathing.

More than just taking a walk in the woods, this nerve-soothing discipline asks you to encounter the woodlands and focus on taking in all the sights, sounds, and smells.

Notice layers of shadows in misty green light, the flutter of a moth, call of a thrush or the smell of fir boughs or fallen leaves warmed by a saft of the sun. Then feel your blood pressure drop. 

According to an article in Outside Magazine “Take Two Hours of Pine Forest and Call Me in the Morning” forest bathing is defined by Japanese scientist Shinrin-yoku as “making contact with and taking in the atmosphere of the forest.”

As sketching enthusiasts, we know that one of the best aids for carefully observing a scene is by drawing it.

Sketching a landscape forces you to observe details of colors, shades and forms that you might otherwise miss.

With a Leda sketchbook in hand, Gary Gillespie (founder of Leda Art Supply) often seeks to soothe his soul by drawing in the woods.

Here is a collection of forest sketches he made during get-aways over the last few years. 

Whistler BC Canada Trail by GJ Gillespie 

Stanley Park Vancouver, Canada

Stanley Park Vancouver 

Mount Douglas forest Victorica, BC

Whistler, BC forest

Whistler Forest

Whistler Forest Scene

Point No Point Vancouver Island 

Harmony Lake Whistler BC

Drawing partner Teresa in Stanley Park

Gary Sketches a Tree 

Red Cedar after Emily Carr.
Mid century artist made famous for her forest oil paintings,
she sought to capture the spirit behind the trees.

After Emily Carr as seen at the
Audain Art Museum in Whistler.

After Emily Carr as seen at the
Vancouver Art Gallery.

Snow Lakes Trail North Cascades, Washington State.

North Cascade Cedar Grove

Icicle Creek near Leavenworth, WA 

Palm Springs Creek 

Palm Gove

TAKE THE PLUNGE
Does Forest Bathing sound appealing to you?
Grab your sketchbook and take a hike.

Then send us your some of your sketches so we can post them for the world to see.