Collecting Summer

6-28-2026 Artist Reflections: Fresh inspiration, long summer days, and a preview of changes ahead. A quiet week in the studio and a season full of life.

A Note From the Studio

A very quiet week in the studio. Not for lack of inspiration but we spent some time camping and visiting friends this week. The travel, new sights and sounds and inspiration from an art fair on the other side of the state were enough to send me into today with a million ideas and so many things to aspire to. In fact, just a preview and heads up for the lovely faithful subscribers and readers, I’ll be shifting the format just a little bit over the next few months. July will remain the same, no worries there but August will see some changes.

On The Board

Not much, honestly. I had a few ideas and even filmed some process footage of a piece I was sure was going to be amazing but it never quite came together. Sometimes it’s like that, and that’s okay. I dabbled in the few quick snapshots to capture some inspo and called it a week.

I think the combination of travel and the sheer abundance of new things to see, smell, taste, and experience over the past week left me feeling less eager to create and more content simply to absorb. Instead of reaching for a paintbrush, I found myself settling into the comfort of observation, letting the experiences accumulate without feeling the need to immediately turn them into something.

Creative energy isn’t always about making. Sometimes it’s about gathering.

Northwoods News

It is well and truly summer in the Northwoods.

We were lucky enough to spend a couple of days camping in a well-loved campground this last week. The scrape of kayaks against the dock was as familiar as children shrieking with delight in the swimming area and the soft thud of camper doors closing for the evening. The scent of campfires drifted through campsites and along lakeside trails.

Out in our kayaks, we watched towering white clouds roll in from the west, sailing serenly across impossibly blue skies. Beneath us, the lake seemed almost bottomless. Submerged trees disappeared into the murky depths, creating an underwater landscape that reminds one of how small you are, trapped between the expansive sky and bottomless depths. As darkness settled over the campground, fireflies drifted along the forest’s edge while the voices of the night took over. The calls of whip-poor-wills echoed from the forest edge, the fire crackled, loons called in their haunting, peaceful way, and barred owls called well into the early morning hours.

Yet beneath all this sound and celebration lies a quiet reminder that the seasons are always moving forward. The summer solstice has come and gone, marking the longest day of the year. Since March, daylight has steadily expanded, reaching its peak just last week. Now, almost imperceptibly, the balance begins to shift. Each day grows a little shorter as we move toward the autumn equinox in September and, eventually, the shortest day of the year in December.

For now, though, summer still reigns. Flowering grasses sway along the roadsides, forests are filled with young life, and the long northern evenings invite us outdoors to savor the season at its fullest.

Until Next Time

If you’re reading this, you’re already where I most like to share my work. Thanks for being here in this slower space. I’ll see you next week. Until then, If you’d like to follow me on TikTok, Instagram and/or Facebook, please do, I post regularly.

Warmly,
Laura
NORDmi.com