An Inspiration

by Lynne of cozycottagecreations

As we wait out this eternal winter, I find myself reflecting nostalgically on one of my favorite artistic moments from last summer.

Our family took a vacation at the North Woods/Pine Valley YMCA Camp, situated on Lake Winnepesaukee in New Hampshire. It was a fabulous week, with lots of fun camp activities for kids and their grown ups. One morning, I put my name on the list for a water color class and, to my joyous surprise, found myself on a motor boat speeding across the lake to a little island, known as Sandy Island (also part of the YMCA camp system), to meet with the wonderfully inspiring watercolor artist Kate Lemay. I quickly figured out that this was not my great-grandmother's version of the art.

There we sat on the deck of her lakeside cabin as she enthusiastically prepared us to explore watercolor Kate Lemay-style.

Kate has the summer job of my dreams. She's the camp coordinator, (formerly the art director), for Sandy Island and spends her summer living out of her lakeside island cabin, planning activities for the camp. And fortunately for us, she kicks off the season with a weekend artist's retreat on the island. If you're interested, look here for more information: It's something I'd love to do, perhaps someday when I'm not spending early June getting kids finished up with school.

I was so drawn in by Kate Lemay both as a person and an artist. Her work really taps into a cosmic pulse which resonated with me. Her effervescent personality and deep connection to that which is meaningful comes through in each of her paintings. Check out more of her work here on her website.

She paints every day she told us. I love that. That little tid-bit of information, casually mentioned in between demonstrations of technique, was one of the most valuable moments I took home from that trip. It inspired me to work on my craft every day as well - which I've done ever since! Thank you Kate for the inspiration!