Lake Michigan inspiration: water and sky

My dear readers, the water and sky are so much more than blue and our journey around Lake Michigan this summer proved that point over and over again. Fresh blues and greens are a delight to the eyes!

I put together some color palettes for anyone about to embark on new creative ventures or home decorating projects.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

Empire, Michigan

Kitch-iti-kipi Spring, Palms Brook State Park

Manistique, Michigan

Cave Point County Park

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin (within Door County)

So so much visual inspiration to share!

Nature is my number one inspiration! Sunset at Wilderness State Park in Carp Lake, MI.

Hello dear readers!

I got all fired up on this blog in June and then… well, it all fell apart! Actually we just got back from a 3-week "circle tour" of Lake Michigan. My family and I camped our way around my beloved Lake Michigan in our trusty pop-up camper. Many adventures were had and I even got to see some awesome art which I am so excited to share with you. And I really don't feel like I finished sharing from my DC trip in May.

So anyway, in these next few weeks (months?) I am just going to be sharing all the things that inspired me on my travels and go from there. Ideally, I will get my project self going on as well! I have a fat blank sketchbook taunting/tempting me as well. I think I am finding it a bit of a mental hurdle to say to myself "Yes, you are an artist. Artists spend time with their sketchbooks working on ideas. Go do that." That's my confession of the day.

Also, I did keep up on Instagram during my travels whenever I could. Please consider following me there (@amandabridle) for a more steady flow of artistic inspiration and observations. Writing blog posts takes a quiet minute on the computer and sometimes those are hard to come by in my house.

farewell to summer

Oh my lovely Lake Michigan how I love you!

twilight reflections

sand designs & patterns

the teal that isn't tropical

Lake Michigan on a windy day. Spectacular!

beautiful blue stripes

My lovely Lake Michigan!

Lovely Lake Michigan

wave marks in green

Mix in a bit of algae and let Lake Michigan sketch her art in abstract green ribbons.

wave marks

Every summer when I make my annual visit to our family's Lake Michigan cottage I try to squeeze in at least one stroll along the beach where I can take photos to my heart's delight. And every summer I notice and enjoy the delicate lines the retreating waves leave behind on the beach.