Submitted by Orcas Island Library.

This month, the Orcas Island Library features work by Barbara Evans in an exhibit title “Skyscapes”.

Barbara writes: “As an artist, my instinct and intuition call me to be creative. As in any given day, I observe and distill these into exploring my poetic imagination in expressions of art with and of nature.

Starting in April 2020, I decided to take the same subject each day, and interpret my expressions of skyscapes, painting one interpretation in the morning and one in the late afternoon, for a total of 60 images.

I have noticed, following one week of this discipline, that I look forward to each time as a precious period from one day to the next, in the atmosphere that is present and have painted, comparing the same range of time. Studying cloud formations, reflections, color, emanating light, refractions and changes and notion of sun and moon, and the position of their beams, weather condition s, ionizing particles, moisture, atmosphere, air current, wind and altitude loud patterns, shadows, opaqueness or transparent elements all providing thoughtful considerations as to the medium, style, expression and interpretation of seizing the moment in each work of my Skyscape art.

From the standpoint of the reality of being requested to stay in place, due to the ever-increasing global pandemic, painting takes away any anxiety about the daily media information and I am able to feel productive and at least be in control, of my own environment. This is a mindful meditation and drives the techniques applied to represent what I see, or a times, what I feel. It also leaves me open to suggestion, revealing emotional responses.

The resulting 60 paintings were created during our required ‘stay in place” mandate requested during the critical pandemic in an effort to illustrate each day, journal my observations and express a positive outcome of hope and resilience.”