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The act of plein air painting encourages an intense, unique way of experiencing, seeing and knowing the space and time we occupy so briefly. The entire session is limited by fleeting light upon which the composition with all its drama depends. Each session involves creating a kind of calligraphic dance with brushstrokes that allow me to capture a shorthand version of outer reality within a very limited framework. There is an intensity of focus required by the necessity of speedy communication between the hand and the eye. Clouds move. The sun breaks through. Shadows emerge then as quickly disappear. The entire colour scheme can change in the flicker of an eye. Photos of the scene can help with touching up small areas later on but the life of the plein air painting largely depends on the synchronicity of canvas/brush/palette and the resonance between the inner eye of the artist and the scene at hand.
Since joining Wanda's plein air group I have been able to discover many new vantage points near Calgary.
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