FOPOS Nature Journaling Meetup // Monday, May 11th

We'll meet at Mountain Lakes House to draw from nature in a playful and non-judgmental setting. This meetup is FREE, although registration is required. The program is designed for adults and older teens. Younger participants (under 16) are welcome to join if accompanied by an adult.

What is a meetup and how is it different from a class? While a class is a structured learning environment with a defined curriculum, schedule, projects, and goals, a meetup is a gathering of people with shared interests who get together, often with a facilitator (in this case Eleni Litt).

What to expect: Meetups with Eleni start off with welcoming everyone, and sharing brief introductions. Eleni will provide suggestions for themes and approaches along with some initial prompts so you won’t be looking at the blank page for long! You’ll be encouraged to notice what grabs your attention the most and to follow your own curiosity, mindful that using the suggested themes and/or prompts is entirely optional! Participants then set out on their own for 45-50 minutes or so to draw, paint, and/or collage on the grounds of the Mountain Lakes House, after which we meet back for an informal conversation to share the results, noting that sharing is always optional! In this setting, learning is embraced as an experience and a process rather than an explicit destination. These meetups are for artists and non-artists alike, and prior drawing or Nature Journaling experience is neither required nor necessary!

What to Bring: Please bring a sketchbook of any size and any of the following: pencils, pens, colored pencils, pastels, watercolor pencils, watercolors with brush pens, and anything else you like to work with.

About Eleni: Eleni Litt (EZL Studio) is a teaching artist, anthropologist, and lifelong learner, with a keen interest in the intersection between art and science. She loves to make art in community, sharing an approach that encourages curiosity and close observation in a non-judgmental and playful setting for artists and non-artists alike.

Eleni teaches at the West Windsor Arts Center and the Princeton Adult School; she is a frequent presenter and participant in John Muir Laws’ Nature Journaling Educators Forum https://johnmuirlaws.com/. She shows her work in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania and is increasingly involved in Artist Trading Cards, Mail Art, and Sequential Art (ie Comics!).

Eleni has Certificates in Fine Arts from Parsons School of Design, and Creative Arts Therapies from The New School, as well as a PhD in Social Anthropology from the London School of Economics (UK). She is a Rutgers Environmental Steward, as well as a Certified Nature Journaling Educator with John Muir Laws and . She served as the Inaugural Artist-in-Residence at The Athena Advisors.

Meetup Location: Mountain Lakes House. Please enter through the green front door.

Directions & Parking: We will meet at the Mountain Lake House, located within the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve. Here is a link to the parking lot location on Google Maps & Apple Maps. The address of the Preserve is 57 Mountain Avenue, Princeton, NJ 08540; this will bring you to the entrance of the Preserve, not our meet-up location. To get to the Mountain Lakes House parking lot, look for the white gate along Mountain Avenue, marked by a series of black mailboxes along the road. Drive slowly down the long paved driveway. The gravel parking lot will be on your left, approximately 1/2 mile down the driveway.

About FOPOS: Since1969, FOPOS has been working to preserve and protect natural spaces in the greater Princeton area. As a part of our work, we rely on volunteers to help make progress when it comes to restoration work, such as our current forest and riparian restoration projects in the Billy Johnson Mountain Lakes Nature Preserve. Consider making a donation to show your love for our local environment! All donations support our year-round stewardship work.

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