We are thrilled to welcome Emily Winkel Washburn as an Artist in Residence at Camp Arcadia during the upcoming season! At Camp from August 7-21, Emily will be creating several paintings of Camp and its stunning natural beauty. During her residency, she will also offer painting classes in the Craft Shop for adult campers.
Emily has been coming to Camp since she was a baby, when her aunt Amy was on staff and invited her family to come visit. Emily and her family ended up staying to attend a Family Week and fell in love with Camp Arcadia.
“At Camp, it’s an awe-inspiring experience of realizing just how vast the universe is and how intentional it must be for us to even exist.”
Her love for painting started a young age, and Camp has always been a place of inspiration for her. “I have always been a painter. There is a photo in archives somewhere of me, aged maybe five or six, painting a rock in the Craft Shop.”
She loves painting all of Camp, but she has a few favorite images to capture on her canvas. “I return to the cross at the Chapel on the Beach most often and have painted it more than a dozen times in different ways. The cross, sunsets over the water, waves crashing, they all speak to people, and resonate in ways that remind me I am simply the painter of His artwork.”
“When I am asked if my paintings are of a real place, I get to say ‘Yes, it is a real place, a piece of Heaven on Earth in Northern Michigan, Camp Arcadia.’”
What are major themes, feelings, or ideas you try to capture when you’re creating Camp-themed art?
“I mainly focus around the quiet and peaceful imagery, knowing it brings the rest and renewal we get while at Camp, but I will often explore the awe-inspiring palette of a storm rolling in across the water as a reminder that God exists in all seasons.”
How does painting/drawing/creating bring you closer to God?
“God is the ultimate painter, and I am an apprentice trying to learn from and copy the Master’s work! Every painting I do, landscapes, florals, portraits… they’re all paintings of His creation, and my gift is to see the brushstrokes He has already put down. I think my gift is in my eyes more than my hands, learning to see what He puts in front of me. When I’m painting, my brain and heart goes quiet, and my hands just follow what I see. Because of this, I’m constantly seeing the world around me as a painting. Every sky, every creature and flower, every person’s face is a masterpiece that has already been painted and I have the privilege of reflecting it back on paper in a way more people can take with them.”
We are excited to be blessed with Emily’s gift of painting this summer and we look forward to hosting her in this residency. Emily’s work, including prints and cards, will be available for purchase in the Trading Post.
If you’d like to know more about Emily or her artwork, you can visit her website or follow along with her work on Facebook or Instagram.
Emily Winkel Washburn is a Michigan born and raised painter and illustrator who credits her original “RKD Collection” as the catalyst for taking her art journey full time. Emily has a long history with Camp as a family Camper, teen Camper, summer staffer, and women’s retreat guest. One of her paintings hangs in the Assembly and prints have been available in the Trading Post. You can learn more about Emily and her work here: https://www.emilyandraillustrations.com/
