Watercolors of huts and an illustrated trail map

[I met Paula Christen while visiting Methow Valley trails, where she works, and was taken with her work in illustrating a trail brochure and her lovely watercolors of huts and cabins. I requested the post below about these, see images following text!]

Paula Christen Watercolors —The Sa Teekh Wa trail painting series:

Trailside art is nothing new. Beautiful examples of sculpture or monuments are found in almost any city green space or park walk. Often however, the art doesn’t connect or relate to it’s surroundings. Nature just provided a nice “frame” for the creation.

What if the trail was the inspiration…what if you could walk that trail and stand in the exact spot that inspired the artwork? What if you could experience the view through the eyes of an artist?

The concept for the Sa Teekh Wa painting series and the coordinating map of the trail started with my own discovery of why I paint landscapes. There has never been any question of what I loved to paint but why I painted landscapes, say rather than flowers or portraits or dogs, was not something I could answer. Working with an art coach a couple years ago, we uncovered that being in nature has always been my source of happiness and also my place of refuge during stressful times. In my watercolor paintings, I’m sharing the peace, joy and focus I find being outside. Nature has the power to transform not only me, but each of us. So a challenge for me became how to connect with those people who come to the Methow Valley for that experience in nature, but who are so busy being out on the trails are not likely to pop into the gallery?

Rich in scenic beauty, the Methow continues to grow a 4 season recreation industry that helps support the small population located 5 hours east from the Puget Sound area. Tourism is part of our life blood, with hiking and cross country skiing a major activity. After that trek across the Cascade Mountains, tourists want to get out of the car and stretch those legs. Our visitor center folks are often asked “Where’s the nearest trail we can use before dinner?” Very often, those tourists were told about a lovely trail just a 20 minute drive from town. They really don’t want to get back in the car again, even for 20 minutes. However, located at the northwest end of Winthrop, averaging about a half hour walk time and dog-friendly was the often forgotten, Sa Teekh Wa trail. There was no handout map or an enticement to go. I saw an opportunity to create a painting series that coordinated with a map of the riverside trail; stretching those tourist legs and letting them see the route as it inspired this artist.

After securing permission from Okanogan County to use their map, I created 5 watercolor paintings and produced the tri fold brochure. The Winthrop Visitors Center was supplied multiple times with copies to hand out. People are often curious about how artists come by their ideas. Here is a trail where they can take that short walk and stand in the same spots that inspired the artist’s painting.

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