Embracing Creative Solitude
The City of Wilsonville’s hidden treasure, Memorial Park, offers more than just a ball field, playground, and off-leash dog area; it presents a phenomenal gateway to nature’s colorful forest wonders. Lush conifers and florescent mosses cling to ancient trees; ivy-covered cedar stumps refuse to dissolve into the verdant forest floor. Winding carpets of white and violet trilliums mingle with buttercups and Johnny jump-ups, presenting a pleasing palette for en-plein-air artists, writers, and photographers.
As a writer and photographer, I am overwhelmed by the beauty presented in this small municipal park with its meandering forest trails—just a hop, skip and a jump from the fast-food chains and busy shopping malls of nearly Wilsonville. Merely step onto the path that leads into this beautiful woodland and the sounds of clattering civilization are replaced by a mesmerizing “creative solitude.” My photographs are intended to show that “creative solitude” can dispel loneliness and inspire imagination amidst the tranquil presence of nature. Enter this magnificent setting and your creative juices will rise to a new level.
Poems you could never have imagined will appear to your muse. Writers will spontaneously compose prideful prose; artists’ brushes or pastel sticks will quiver mid-air with one of those— “Oh my God! Where do I begin?” —moments.
Inhale the luxuriant aromas of forest perfumes: the rich bass of fecund loam, the high note spice of pine and cedar; and the sexy scent of flowers that cover the forest floor like a magic carpet.
The occasional jogger may whiz past, driven by IPod©-filled brashness, oblivious to what they are missing. Tranquility is cast aside by raucous rock or inane wailings when—if they were to simply remove their headphones for a second and rest on a nearby log—they would instantly be drawn into a blissful environment, perhaps to the strains of Handel’s Water Music— a sensory moment that almost brings forth tears of joy.
I hope you enjoyed these photographs as much as I did composing them. Join me. Set down your latte, unplug from the wireless world, and stroll through this wonderland with someone you love.
David F. DeHart
Wilsonville, Oregon