a woodland picnic

Some of the fondest memories I have from childhood are ones that involve getting dressed up and hiking into the woods to celebrate holidays and events with my family. Our house sat on the edge of a forest that served as the backdrop for adventures, make believe, family gatherings and picnics. There was something about those woods, something that was magical and everything we did in them, even the simplest of things, felt a little more enchanted. These days, we live in a house that sits on the edge of our own forest and we have made it a priority to create similar experiences for Lucy. We want to show her that there is beauty and possibility in the simplicity of nature. That there is something quite marvelous about getting all dressed up to dine under a canopy of green trees, listening to a symphony of birds while soaking up the magic of the forest.

This post is a collaboration with the Creative Council by UGG Australia

Photos by Alisa Burke and Andy Gunthardt

My shoes- D'Alessio Lucy's shoes- Aubry Andy's Shoes- Chester

north oregon coast guide

I grew up on the Oregon Coast which means I have lots of love for the area and since my creative business depends on staying inspired, we try to spend some time everyday (rain or shine) hunting for inspiration. Living on the coast I get all kinds of emails from people asking where to visit and what to see. Finally I have put together a little North Oregon Coast guide and while I have a bazillion favorite places, I've narrowed it down to my top 5 favorites in the area plus a little behind the scenes video. Enjoy!

The Oregon Coast stretches 363 miles along the Pacific Ocean. From sand dunes to tide pools to trails and old growth forests, there are so many places and things to explore. We live on the North Oregon Coast and our regular stomping grounds typically run up and down HWY 101 from Astoria to Tillamook. I never get tired of the beauty and endless source of inspiration that the coast provides and today I am excited to take all of you along with us.




oregon coast from Alisa Burke on Vimeo.

Gearhart is a little town 3 miles north of Seaside that often gets overlooked because it is off the beaten path. With only one street running through town (with no traffic lights) and a handful of businesses, it is a quaint community with cute homes, miles of sand dunes and empty beaches. 

TIPS:

• Gearhart is filled with quaint beach houses. I love taking walks through the neighborhoods looking at the architecture, gardens and yards. 

• Spring is our favorite time of year to go walking through the dunes in Gearhart. The beach grass is bright green and makes for a fun kid friendly hike.

• We love taking a stroll down main street and stopping at Pacific Way Bakery and Cafe for a blackberry scone.

Haystack Rock is a 263 foot monlithic rock and it is a MUST SEE if you visit the Oregon Coast. Visitors can view all kinds of marine wild life in and around the tide pools. Located in Cannon Beach Oregon, Haystack Rock is surrounded by miles of rugged beach perfect for long walks, picnics, kite flying and sunset watching. Since we only live 6 miles away, we spend a lot of time here soaking up the beauty (it never gets old), taking photos and playing on the beach. 

TIPS:

• The morning and evening are my favorite times to take pictures of Haystack Rock- I find that I am able to capture some really great color and reflections. And while it is fun to get up close to the rock I prefer taking a long walk to either the north or south end and taking photos of Haystack from a distance.

• The rocks surrounding Haystack are called "The Needles" and while Haystack typically steals the show, The Needles make for great photos too.

• You can't visit Haystack Rock without heading into Cannon Beach. This charming little town has galleries, restaurants, shops and lots of lodging. We enjoy eating lunch at Ecola Seafoods, stopping for coffee at Sleepy Monk Cafe, picking out candy at Bruce's Candy Kitchen and browsing through galleries.

• Head to the north end of Cannon Beach to watch the sunset. This area is a little more off the beaten path and less crowded. We love to climb the sand dunes and capture the sunset and Haystack Rock in the distance.

Located at the north end of Cannon Beach is Ecola State Park and it is one of my favorite places in the world! From the parking lot, trails lead to several breath taking viewing points. From one end you can see all the way down the coast including Haystack Rock, on the the other end you can see "Terrible Tilly" the Tillamook Head Lighthouse, on clear spring days you can even do a little whale watching from above. This is the first place we always take visitors because it so perfectly embodies the amazing beauty of the Oregon Coast.

TIPS:

• If you like to hike take the Tillamook Head trail. It is a 6 mile hike that runs from Cannon Beach to Seaside- the trail is the same one followed by Lewis and Clark.

• We like heading up to Ecola State Park with dinner. Picnic benches are scattered around the park and make for some amazing views while eating.

• Watching the sunset on a clear summer evening is one of my favorite things to do here. Positioned high above the ocean you feel like you are watching the sunset from the top of the world.

Indian Beach is located within Ecola State Park and just a few miles up a winding road from the Ecola lookout. It is a CRAZY beautiful beach surrounded by rugged cliffs, green forests, waterfalls and tide pools. With waves to surf, trails to hike and sand for playing, Indian Beach is one of our families favorite places to hang out.

TIPS:

• While there is a HUGE staircase for beach access, take some time to hike the trails down to Indian Beach. A short hike through the giant ferns and old growth trees is good for the soul.

• Indian Beach is one of my favorite places to look for smooth stones- for some reason the stones here are exceptionally smooth! Lucy and I could spend hours playing and hunting for unique rocks.

• During early spring you can find all sorts of little waterfalls coming down the rocky cliffs. We like to hunt for waterfalls as we walk the beach.

• The north end of the beach is great for exploring tide pools during low tide.

Located on the south shore of the Columbia River, Astoria is one of my favorite little cities to go to when I am looking for inspiration. It is often called "Little San Francisco" because of its steep hills and beautiful Victoria homes. From an impressive 4 mile bridge to historic (and quirky) architecture to great restaurants and miles of waterfront, we find ourselves spending lots of time in Astoria.

TIPS:

• Head to the Astoria Column for one of the best views in town. Climb all 163 steps of the column to experience stunning views of the Columbia River, Youngs Bay and the Pacific Ocean.

• During the summer, we love riding our bikes along the Astoria Riverwalk- a path that runs along the entire waterfront. It is a fun ride where you pass fish canneries, sea lions lounging on docks, historic buildings and ships passing through the river.

• We like to hit up the Astoria Sunday Market for fresh produce, art, craft and great people watching.

• Take a ride on the historic Riverfront Trolley. In operation for over 100 years, the trolley takes passengers throughout downtown along the waterfront.

• There tons of things to do in Astoria but our favorite is simply strolling the hills and streets looking for color, texture and inspiration

This post is in collaboration with the Creative Council by UGG Australia

Photos by Alisa Burke and Andy Gunthardt

My shoes: Darling Suede, Bria, Classic Tall

Lucy's shoes: Aubry Metallic, Baily Bow

Andy's shoes: Olsen

For more information on the Oregon Coast or anywhere in Oregon visit Travel Oregon

creating with a kid

Becoming a mom has been one of the most inspiring and profound things to happen to me as an artist. And the older Lucy gets, the more fun it is to share all kinds of creative experiences with her. While I am not an expert I have been creating with this kid since she was born and over time and lots of trial error, I continue to discover new ways to foster her creativity. Once in a while I like to share some of my favorite tips and insights about creating with a kid and with mothers day right around the corner I thought it would be appropriate to share some more of my favorite tips for creating with a kid!

MY PHILOSOPHY:

As I have mentioned in the past it is important for both my husband and I to include Lucy in as many creative projects as possible. At 2.5 years old this kid has witnessed me making art every day since she was born. And while it makes no difference to us if Lucy grows up to be an artist, we do want her to be a creative thinker. We feel that including her in our daily art-making process is one the best ways we can teach her to do this! 

MAKE TIME:

Making time to be creative is so important for anyone at any age. Even even though I make art for a living, we have a busy life and still have to find ways to structure time for creating with a kid. The way that works best for our family is incorporating Lucy into the projects that we already have to tackle. If I am heading to the studio, I take her along. If my husband is working on a drawing project, he sets her up with her own drawing project.  Over time she has become very accustomed to participating in creative tasks and loves making art along side of us. 

HAVE PATIENCE:

I am not gonna lie, I struggle at times with patience when I am creating with Lucy. Letting a toddler be expressive and go wild with paint and art supplies is INTENSE and can be really frustrating and messy. But the practice of letting go and giving her creative freedom while enforcing some boundaries, is slowly making me a more patient person and a better mom. I know she won't be a toddler forever and some day (maybe) she won't try to paint the couch or draw on the cabinets or spray me in the face with water. Until that day comes I will continue to try and be as patient as possible!

ENCOURAGE INDEPENDENT THINKING:

While it would be really easy to show Lucy exactly how to pick colors or mix paint or draw a flower, I believe one of the most important gifts I can give her is the freedom to think and create independently. Yes, there are times when I have to fight the urge to correct or make something for her but I always try to limit showing Lucy the "right ways" to create. As an artist, I know all too well that there is only one time in your life that you are truly independent and free from expectations and rules in creativity and that is when you are kid.

THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX:

While it is easy and pretty standard to hand your kid a box of crayons and a piece of paper, I say mix it up and try letting them create with different materials and supplies. We will draw and paint on anything- from cardboard boxes to noodles to rocks and sticks to old furniture to paper of all sizes. The result is that Lucy gets crazy inspired and excited about trying something new like painting inside of a shoe box or drawing on a leaf and spends a lot more time exploring new materials.

EMBRACE THE MESS: 

This is a little easier for me because I am a messy artist and when I am creating I need to get swept up in the moment and let the mess happen. With that said, there is no mess like the mess that a toddler makes- but embracing the process and giving your child permission to explore materials and get messy is a wonderful way to foster and encourage creativity. I use drop cloths and old sheets to cover anything and everything that could get messy.

COLLABORATE:

Collaboration with a toddler is much easier said than done (hello patience) but working with Lucy on the same surface has been a process that has helped both of us learn from each other. I like to keep a couple of large canvases around that we always work on together. The paintings in the photos above are pieces that she and I have been slowly working on together for the last year. We layer, draw, scribble and paint over things. She knows when we show up at the studio that these paintings belong to both of us and always grabs my hand and leads me over to paint together.

ALWAY HAVE SUPPLIES ON HAND:

In our family it is important for us to have a lot of supplies on hand. I keep paper, crayons, paint and pens in just about every room of the house (and in plain site) because I know at any given moment one of us will may have the urge to create. When the moment strikes you gotta take advantage- I want Lucy to know that if she has the desire to create she can grab her things and get going! You can read about my favorite supplies for kids HERE

HAVE FUN:

The most important advice I can give is to have fun creating with your kids. Making time to share the joy that comes with the creative process is one of the best gifts you can give to a child!

This post is collaboration with the Creative Council by UGG Australia

Photos by Alisa Burke and Andy Gunthardt

My shoes: Cayha Woven  Lucy's Shoes: Aubry Metallic

P.S. I am SUPER excited to share that I have designed some exclusive Mother's Day greeting cards for UGG Australia stores! The cards will be an accoutrement to any in-store purchase over $100 from May 1st- May 11th. Head on over HERE for more information!

finding inspiration

I am really excited to announce my partnership with the Creative Council by UGG Australia. I will be collaborating with UGG over the next few months - interpreting their color focused Spring 2014 line, bringing it to life and putting my own creative spin on their inspiration.

To kick off my partnership with the Creative Council, today I am sharing my top five favorite tips for finding inspiration! Inspiration is the most important part of my creative process. Without excitement, joy and understanding of what it means to look for inspiration, you run the risk of losing motivation to keep up a creative routine. My goal as an artist is to stay offline when looking for ideas. I want my work to be authentic and speak to my daily experiences and the only way for me to do this is by seeking inspiration in everyday moments and in the things around me.

1. CARRY A CAMERA EVERYWHERE: One of the most important things I do is carry a camera everywhere I go. I make sure I always have a way to capture the things that catch my eye. From the farmers market to my neighborhood to my daily walk on the beach, I am always on the look out for things that inspire and can be captured in a photo. The result is a library of thousands of photos that I pull from when I sit down to draw, paint, craft and come up with tutorials and classes. Taking photos has become such an essential part of my creative process that I cannot survive without a camera these days.

2. HUNT AND GATHER: I've always been a treasure hunter- from beach combing to picking flowers to looking for leaves and stones on the ground, I love finding things that catch my eye. And now that I am a mom, this ritual of hunting and gathering has become one of the special ways that I can inspire and connect with my daughter Lucy. All of the things we find are put to use as inspiration or get transformed into art and craft projects.

3. WALK WHEN POSSIBLE: This is an incredibly simple concept - choosing to walk instead of driving - but this concept has changed my life and the way I gather inspiration. While I don't have lots of free time I do make a point to go for walks. We live in a small town and many things are within walking distance so while it would be much quicker to jump in the car to go to the store, I try to walk instead. Often it is during these walks that I find myself feeling most inspired and connected with my life, creativity and ideas. 

4. SURROUND YOURSELF WITH BEAUTY: I am a big believer in having things around me that inspire and keep the creative juices flowing. I like to fill my studio with flowers, decorate with color pattern and texture and create inspiration boards when I am working on projects. My hope is that surrounding myself with beauty will influence my work and spark unique ideas.

5. PERMISSION TO PLAY: While I love going out looking for inspiration, I have also discovered that staying in the studio and "playing" is just as valuable. When I need ideas one of the first things I do is pull out my supplies and have fun! I don't get caught up in creating anything specific instead I give myself permission to just mess around- I splatter, I blend, I finger paint, I scribble. Whether I am painting, drawing or sewing, I know that this process helps me explore and discover new ideas.

What about you? Do you have favorite ways to find inspiration?

This post is a collaboration with the Creative Council by UGG Australia

Photos by Alisa Burke and Andy Gunthardt

My shoes- Delizah Stripe,  Lucy's shoes Bailey Bow