Drawing on Hornby Island

Posted in: Plein Air | 4

Little Tribune Bay

If not for my new beach umbrella, I would have been burnt to a crisp.

I was happy to have the drink holders on the arms of my chair. They worked beautifully for holding my pencils.

It’s so satisfying to immerse myself in visual perception, just looking and collaborating with the limitations of the chosen medium to create a document of that experience.

Painting on Granville Island

Posted in: Plein Air | 0
painting an older blue and yellow boat
Photo: Terry Sawatzky

The perfect day for the Opus Outdoor Painting Challenge. Five hours went by in the blink of an eye. I got a sunburn, even though I was painting in dappled shade. I forgot my sunscreen.

I am not a seasoned plein air painter. I usually paint in the studio. For me it’s not about creating a plein air masterpiece, though that would be entirely welcome. It’s about the whole package: the experience of painting outdoors, the unexpected, the equipment, the looking and working to somehow wrestle the world onto a 9×12 inch panel, the concentration, the people who may come and go, and the way the life of that day is somehow embedded in the results, no matter what state the piece may be in when you take it away.