Using Nature to Create Art

My earliest encounter with art was Claude Monet’s Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies (1899). I was amazed by his ability to paint trees that were so defined, but also worked as a collective. The water lilies and trees reflected into the pond to the point that the pond seemed almost invisible. It was absolutely incredible to witness and I tried to some avail to paint my own attempt. Even if I am not a Monet, art has always been an escape of sorts for me. A place to be creative and use different mediums to make something beautiful! 

During my first year at Dunes Learning Center, I did a lot of research on Frank V. Dudley, a prominent artist of the Indiana Dunes. Often, he was known as the ‘Seer of the Dunes’ and had a part in advocating for the Indiana Dunes to become a federally protected area. My favorite work of his is Strangers from Far Away (Cactus) (1952). This piece depicts an Eastern Prickly Pear cactus in the Dunes, definitely something you wouldn’t think to find in Indiana!

Being inspired by nature is nothing new for art and artists, and I feel grateful to live in a community where there is a large emphasis in capturing the beauty of nature. Between nature photography and the Artist in Residence program sponsored by the National Park, there is a lot to capture! This led me to the question: how can I use nature in artwork of my own? The answer came to me with creating handmade paint brushes made out of materials found right outside my back door!

Now it is important to remember that you can not take things from the National Park, as it is federally protected land, but you can take things that have fallen to the ground in your backyard. I went and searched the forest floor and came upon five interesting materials to use in my paintbrush building project (from left to right): Goldenrod, prairie grass, White pine needles, Hyssop, and Oak leaves. Now, make sure you bring a field guide because there is the added challenge of trying to identify what you are seeing, especially in the winter!

The next step was to assemble the paintbrushes. For the handle, I found sticks that were about the width of my pinky and the size of an unsharpened pencil. I gathered my leafy materials around the stick, making sure that the tip of the stick was surrounded. Once I was happy with how my dried plants were placed, I rubber banded them to the stick. If I was having trouble getting the plants around the stick, I would rubber band them together and then rubber band them to the stick. I trimmed any extra-long bits. Since it would be difficult to wash the paint from the brushes, I decided that each brush would have a designated color. Finally, I added some wire around the plants to really secure the materials to the sticks. It was time to paint. 

Now a warning! These sticks were fragile, but created beautiful textures that I used to make a rainbow. I hope this inspires you to admire the beauty around you and when the time comes (hopefully sooner rather than later) the beauty of Spring! Now, I am off to my next challenge, which is going to be to try to use wildflowers to make my own watercolor paints! Wish me luck! Go explore!

Lauren Hardebeck is a third year Environmental Education Fellow at Dunes Learning Center.