Walk 004 of 100 2018

Walk 004 of 100 2018

Georgia Botanical Gardens

Walk

and join 

Athens Plein Art Artists group

They paint and drawer for 3 hours

I walk and photograph them and images I find interesting

A few sample photos from my 004 walk follow.

this link will take you to the complete album of 137 photos from today's walk.

https://wanderingalan.smugmug.com/AthensPleinAirJuly2018/i-GnVMhnP

I went to the Botanical Gardens to join up with members of the Athens Plein Air Artists group on the monthly outing to the site.  The site was chosen because of the beauty of the gardens and the option to work inside in air conditioning or in the outside.  The members chose either or both until the heat of the day got too much by around 10:30 or 11:00.

Because I photograph rather than draw or paint usually I arrived just before 10:30.

Each month when I join the group I have two subjects:

1) the chosen monthly subject:
    gardens, art, scenery, historic buildings

2) the Athens Plein Air Artists while they work

First I walked around and took photos of the various members working and then went on my 004 Walk for some Health and Happiness.

Since the Summer of 2013 I have been joining with the members on many of the monthly excursions.  The first two I drew some and photographed as well.

Then I began photographing only.

I have shared with the members that I no longer have the patience that they have to draw, paint or used colored pencil and instead I photograph.

That is partly true.

The other reason is that my skills of drawing are rusty and my skills of painting or using colored pencil, chalk, pastels are very un-used or minimal and not truly developed like so many of theirs.

I have become lazy.

At the same time I have developed a lot of pleasure in taking photographs to capture the experiences and the subjects.

This year 4 of my framed photos and a slide show of almost 180 of my photos have been included in the Lyndon House Athens Plein Air Show titled "OUR POINT OF VIEW" running all Summer long.

I have been accepted as and become one of them as an artist with my media being photography.

Here are Jack, Bob (met him when I was teaching in the UGA Art Dept from 1980 to 1984) and Diane, a new member who joined us within the last year. 

A little humor from one of the members, an excellent painter this morning.  She asked me to photograph her t-shirt.

The members who I have gradually gotten to know over the past 5 years know that I have been traveling extensively around the world for the past 42 years.

Here is another of the new members. Her second time I believe.

Anna is one of the members I have gotten to know in the past couple years who has not only traveled extensively but also lived in a variety of countries and evey on a boat in Mexico for awhile.

One of our gatherings was at her and her husband's condo in Athens where she shared many of her beautiful paintings with the members.

Then I went for about an hour walk through part of formal classical gardens and the natural forest along the Purple Trail until I spontaneously decided to simply hike through the rugged forest instead to see what I might discover along the way.

The album link above will show you what I discovered today.

almost a creek

the gardens' exterior signage system

one of my photographic themes over the past few years has been

Fallen Trees

Spending time with the Athens Plein Air members, getting to know one two more each gathering helps me with my daily challenges with doubt that cause much of my depression.

Walking, hiking and photographing in beautiful areas also eliminates the feelings of depression and despair.

Here are the photos of them at work this month.

https://wanderingalan.smugmug.com/Athenspleinaireartistsjuly/

Goal of removing the feelings of doubt and depression?

ACCOMPLISHED once again through 

Health & Happiness Walk 004.