Being in nature allows our minds to bounce back and forth between outward attention and inward reflection, leaving space to recharge our focus-batteries and reset our moods. We focus better if we’ve spent time not focusing.

Elm Creek Park Reserve is an oasis of forests, ponds, and prairies, navigable by a network of horse paths and bike trails. With my art supplies in tow, I biked into the prairie on a hot day last summer to make this painting amidst the bumblebees and blackbirds.