By TYLER STOCKS

Washington Daily News

 

When Douglas Alvord describes his love for nature, his face lights up and the calm, soothing tone he uses leaves listeners inspired. Having worked as an author, illustrator, artist and sculptor over the past 60 years, Alvord humbly attributes his success to having a love for nature, and also his strong faith.

Alvord grew up in a small village on the coast of New Brunswick, in eastern Canada. Alvord said that being surrounded by nature at an early age gave him inspiration to draw and paint. “I have loved nature all my life and still do,” said Alvord.

He also added that having worked as a boat builder gave him a love for sailing and being on the water. After boatbuilding came his time working as an illustrator in the publishing industry for companies like Little Brown Books.  This experience allowed Alvord to further continue his artistic passion.

Among some of the many accomplishments in his career, Alvord has written children’s books with maritime themes and articles in sailing magazines. Other works include murals for the Beaufort County Convention Center, the North Carolina Maritime Museum, The North Carolina Fisheries Association, Weyerhaeuser and PotashCorp-Aurora.

Rachel Carson also inspired much of Alvord’s love for nature and his gentle approach to taking care of the environment. He had the honor to create a bronze sculpture of Carson and her two children.

“My approach is very different, and it’s not scholastic. I taught kids about the nature of seeing. The kids were 11 to 15, and I had eight of them. We met twice a week in the afternoon at the estuarium,” said Alvord. “When we got out, we took the riverboat out up the river. I just let them go. I worked with them a little bit, but I didn’t say now do this, now do this. There was no judgment.  While they were working, they were amazing. This was a group of kids who learned a lot.”  Children who took Alford’s courses learned to draw and paint through having an understanding of nature.

“There are no judgments, or comparisons, just satisfaction in understanding nature through your lines and forms and having fun doing it. I’m just your tour guide,” said Alvord “I’m not concerned about people becoming artists. I want them to have fun and enjoy nature. It took me a lifetime to get there.”

Beaufort County residents will get a special treat as Alford will be teaching his oil painting and drawing courses at the Inner Banks Artisans’ Center, located at 158 W. Main St., Washington, starting Tuesday. The two classes will be held from 9 a.m. until noon. They will meet once a week for 10 weeks. For those who may be intimidated by art, Alford said, the main thing is to have fun and learn how to see nature. The fee for each class is $175, and all materials are supplied.

“The courses are a form of the direct method of drawing and painting. The classes work for all skill levels and having a passion for creating and enjoying the experience is what is most important,” added Alvord. “I have always liked the simplicity of having nothing more than a piece of paper and a common pencil and just seeing how far I could go with it.”

“The idea is to get fluent with the application of color and line, and experiment with the techniques of color and textures. You are not starting out to create a masterpiece, but who knows how far you might go if you focus on the experience,” said Alvord.

For more information on or to register for these classes, call the Inner Banks Artisans’ Center at 252-972-2223 or visit its website at www.innerbanksartisanscenter.net.