Sandra Yorke
Watercolor
There is a part of me that has always been an artist. Growing up in the country (first on a forty acre farm in Wisconsin, and then in the town of Ellensburg, Washington), I have always loved being out in nature. I have always been inspired by the spiritual connection between humans and nature. There is a healing and a sense of renewal that occurs, whether one is viewing the stream of light coming through the trees in the forest or the soft mist hiding the landscape around us. Through the years I sought to capture the scenes I saw. I was always hiking or riding my horse around exploring the beauty around me. Sometimes my camera was my sketch book and other times I tried to re-create the scene when I got back home.
I went to school at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington where I met my future husband and somehow graduated with a degree in Microbiology. How did that happen you may ask? Well, I also had an interest in science and one thing led to another and you know how that story goes. But deep inside I knew I was still an artist.
I kept painting and took some classes and workshops through the years (mainly in watercolor, but also oils and pastels). People started asking me if my paintings were for sale (I had given away most of the early paintings as gifts). So I started selling a few paintings and thus began my art career. I also got married, had two wonderful children and felt blessed I could still find a small amount of time for painting.
Now my kids are grown and leading productive, creative lives of their own and I have recently retired after 30 years of working in the public health field.
It is time for my inner artist to be set free.
That was back in 2015. Then “life got in the way of art”, as a good friend of mine always said when something changed the course of her art career. My dear mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s that year. My sister and I became her caregivers during that difficult time. Watching my mother slowly fade away from this devastating disease was one of the hardest things I have ever been through. She was also an artist and a lover of nature like me. Once again art was my therapy and I found myself appreciating nature and the little things in life even more. This inspired me to keep expressing my love of nature through my art and also to keep sharing it with others, especially those who find it healing as I did. I hope you will find some joy and healing in these images also.
Morning Walk
Walk Along the Cowlitz River
Cape Disappointment
Afternoon Reflections
