6 Questions With Lari Washburn

6 questions, a tiny interview with artists, makers and creative folks.

This month it was my absolute pleasure to invite US based Artist, Lari Washburn to contribute to 6 Questions. Lari and I connected a couple of years ago via Instagram, and right away we knew we shared a deep love of intuitive mark making and a similar understanding about the inherent mystery that is part of the creative process. It was her encouragement and compliments about my own tentative marks at the time, that filled me with a brimming sense of possibility, and really encouraged me to trust my own voice when it came to art making. Over that time we have shared work and pondered the complexities, truths, confusions and magic that we experience when navigating a creative life.

Lari's work pulses with energy and surrender and asks us to rest a while. Her marks and palette speak of nature and the internal, deeper spaces we also inhabit.

Lari's practice encompasses drawing, painting, collage, printmaking and ceramics and she is currently represented by Cynthia Winings Gallery in Maine and Clark Gallery in Massachusetts. You can follow her daily practice via IG where we get to peek into her sketchbooks and studio and marvel at her rich artistic vocabulary and her observations of nature and the wild places she loves.

My name is......Lari Washburn

I live in...... Maine USA

I am an...... Artist

Question No.1

If there is one thing I believe in.....it’s listening to my inner voice. And I mean that I often hear instructions about what to do next. Sometimes that voice is telling me what specific mark to make, or what project to do next. I’ve learned over time to really do, quite literally, what I am told. This applies to much of my life now. I suppose I have had enough experience in life and in art-making to know there is wisdom always guiding me.

Question No.2

Each day I complete this one ritual, action or routine..... I meditate or journal almost every day. I need the quiet inner focus to figure out what I want to do next, or what I really feel about something. Sometimes the meditation is in the form of walking in nature. I’ve used a journal for many years, and it has been a constant companion.

Question No.3

I desire to.....become a kind and true person. To learn how to be patient and present with people. To contribute something with my art that helps people feel empowered to be themselves and to not fear failure.

Question No.4

Before I die, I would like to..... see a bit more of this wild and beautiful planet.

Question No.5

The book that changed my life...... “Life, Paint and Passion: Reclaiming the Magic of Spontaneous Expression” by Stewart Cubley and Michelle Cassou. This book got me back to painting when I was still working in a corporation. I became good friends with Stewart, and took many workshops with him. His work is extraordinary and he has a great podcast “The Painting Experience”.

Question No.6

The wisest words ever said to me were..... mostly in songs! “Slow down you move too fast…” comes to mind.

Optional 7th Question

One thing most people do not know about me......I’m pretty shy. It’s hard for me to be extroverted. I can do it, but it costs. I am a very simple person at heart. I like quiet, nature, deep connections to people and life, so much of what the world asks for is a challenge. I’m curious, perhaps to a fault, so that keeps me coming out of myself.

To learn more about Lari's creative practice, you can visit her website www.lariwashburn.com , and view her work via Cynthia Winings Gallery and Clark Gallery or follow her daily sketchbook drawings on IG at @lariwashburn