Lorene Edwards Forkner - Color in and Out of the Garden: Watercolor Practices for Painters, Gardeners, and Nature Lovers

I love flowers. Much of my life is in the pursuit of finding them on roadsides, being entranced in gardens, filling my hair, and using their petals for my art. When in search for flowers, I believe that if youre looking for magic you will find it. Whether it be a lone orange poppy in a wide, barren field, or a friend whose garden is the balm your weary heart desires. I have found such magic in Lorene Edwards Forkner.

Lorene is a wonderful person to have in your corner if your obsessions lie in flowers. Having spent time hawking plants in a nursery, professionally writing about horticulture, and simply living a full, brave life has given her a wealth of knowledge and a keen eye in the garden. And her latest endeavor, analyzing and paying attention to the details of color in the natural world throughout the seasons has made her insights all the more tantalizing to receive.

One of my most memorable moments with Lorene was a hunt for bright red Amanita muscaria. I have my favorite spots for finding them along Green Lake, a serene oasis in the midst of an urban landscape in Seattle. One dreary autumn Lorene very humbly asked if she could come with me to find them. I am a solitary forager for the most part. I seldom invite anyone with me on my escapades into the wilds for flowers and introverted ruminations. But Lorene is as kindred as they come in the world of natural beauty and delight of the curios of creation. We saw each other across a field, and I could see the smile and light in her eyes. Oh the delight! There was no fear of seeming silly in my all-out fangirling of this marvelous mushroom that evokes feelings of Baba Yaga and gnomes and faerie wonder. Lorene tromped with me into eerie forest and along murky shore to catch a glimpse of their bright pops of color against the gloom. A much-needed escape from the gloom I had been feeling during that season of my life.

That is the magic of color, and Lorene bottled it up and mixed it with paint. With her paint brush as wand, and open, curious heart as conjuring spell. Sure enough, one of the Amanita muscaria mushrooms made its way into her color studies, along with so many other finds, that I can only imagine involved just as much soulful examination and joyful selection. I have gasped on more than one occasion at her latest works. She says shes not an artist, that she only wants to slow down and see, pay attention. But if thats not the marrow of a work of art, what is? To have a photograph or smudge of paint absorb the soul of an object and help you see it fully? That is a rare gift.

The first time we met, Lorene invited me to her garden to interview me for an article she was writing. I admit I am fairly nervous about these types of interactions, ever battling my social anxiety. But she asked if I ever used bugs or creatures in my art, and promised I could pick the prettiest snails from her garden. My curiosity about a woman who would offer another person snails won out, and I am grateful that it did. Her garden was a feast for the eyes. She had expertly crafted a space that was welcoming and intriguing. I was immediately drawn to look closer and touch what I saw. We sat in a cool, open structure placed perfectly for viewing her plants. I had so many questions about the different projects she was working on and plants she had nurtured, but my favorite thing of all about her garden was her use of color.

What sticks most enduringly in my memory is purple and chartreuse. At that time she had selected plants with leaves in variegated maroons and greens, flowers with fluffy purple frills and starry amethyst explosions. The sense of symmetry and poetry her garden evoked in me tickled my soul. She sent me home with an armful of flowers and a new understanding for the attraction of opposite colors in nature. How is it that something so simple as a flower can make us feel so complex? A slice of infinite in the finite... thats what the garden brings. And Lorene has captured it.

Here is a sage who not only will offer you her prettiest snails, and be enamored with Amanita, she will infuse your world with her innate wisdom for color. We are so lucky to have the magic shes distilled from her finds at our fingertips.

Bridget Beth Collins
Author, The Art of Flora Forager, and on IG @floraforager

My garden is the lens through which I see the world, it connects me with natural systems and underscores the importance of how I respectfully consume and manage resources. Its also a living palette of plants, soil, wildlife, and microorganisms.

Since I began collecting and recording the colors that I see in my garden, Ive begun looking more expansively at the world around me. Tending my garden allows me to sync my entire being with time, not just the current season or even a particular day, but the present moment. When my senses are dulled by artificial lighting and the cacophony of daily life, my garden grounds me; it reminds me that I am a human animal and a part of nature. This book is about plants and color and being mindful. Its about looking out and looking in.

In recording color, Im engaging with reality in a new way.

Color In and Out of the Garden holds the compiled evidence of my daily practice devoted to color and mindfulness. My watercolor studies log life and the landscape in every hue and season, and I hope, in these pages, to encourage you to do the sameto tap into an intimate relationship with your garden and feel the healing power of connecting with nature. Arranged by color, the chapters present plant profiles, personal reflections, and creative prompts that trace the process of learning to focus attention (red) and energy (orange), the exploration of memory (yellow) and growth (green), and the willingness to remain vulnerable or tender (blue) and always to choose love (violet).

This is an exercise not in botanical illustration but in learning to see. As you readand, hopefully, pick up a brush yourselftry to approach each color study with a fresh perspective. Whether you decide to adopt a daily practice, or simply want to slow down and savor the season, this is an opportunity to quiet your thinking and to focus, a mindful meditation where color is our mantra, a willful distraction to direct our attention.

In sharing the following collection of color studies and observations, my rainbow playground, I hope to open your eyes and deepen your compassion for beauty in the natural world.

But first... whats your favorite color?

Color is about seduction. It is both a delightful gift and one of natures most sophisticated tools engineered to capture the attention of all living creatures. While the allure of color is powerful, our response to it is deeply personal.

For decades I resisted calling myself an artist, even though my background is in painting and textiles.