"Stroking Into a New Day" watercolor by Caroline Buchanan, who resides on Obstruction Island.
Contributed by Caroline Buchanan
Do you have a story, a journey story to tell? How did you get to the Islands? Or how did your family come West?
Do you have a meaningful journey such as a high-mountain backpacking trip in which you discovered truths about yourself? Or how about a children’s story – that amazing journey (down the creek, through a part of town you weren’t supposed to go, or ….) through the eyes of the little child you once were? It is time to tell those stories.
This July the Orcas Island Historical Museum will host the “Journey Stories,” a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and the Museum on Main Street. This is an outstanding exhibit for Orcas. As part of the exhibit, the Historical Museum is encouraging us islanders to become involved and tell the stories of our journeys.
How to choose the story? What to include? How do you present it? To help you get started and guide you in exploring ways that best present your story, Caroline Buchanan is offering a class at the Senior Center, Telling a Life Journey Story. It is on Fridays, two weeks apart March 12, March 26, April 9, and April 30, from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Come this Friday with ideas for your story and any materials you have. Caroline will help you decide how to use line drawings to illustrate it. Or photographs. Or mementos, like tickets. She will show you how you can draw (even if you don’t really draw) to illustrate your story. She will guide you in developing the writing.
If you want to do a children’s story, Caroline will demonstrate an easy way to story-board and set the pages up. Or perhaps a large collage is the answer. Your way of telling your story should be as unique as the story you tell.
In between the class sessions, you will continue work on your story, using the class time to review your progress and work with guidance. Although she is known for her watercolors, Caroline says she is delighted to be teaching a class again that combines writing and art. She has taught journalling (drawing and writing) workshops frequently, overseas as well as in the Islands.
Several students from past children’s story workshops have gone on to publish their work while others created them just for grandchildren. For this class, she believes the important thing is to get you on your way – the journey of telling your story – and see what happens from there.
You may contact Caroline with questions or for more information: 376-5509, or watercolors@rockisland.com
The price of the class is $165. Register with the Senior Center, 360-376-2677.
A story not told is a journey not taken.
