For many of us this year in/on Earth School has been one of the most dynamic, growth intensive, unexpected, precarious years of our lives. Equally intense as it is delicate, with the weight of the world on our hearts. Each facing victory and defeat, tears and laughter, hatred and love. The truth is, through all of this turmoil we’ve faced each and every challenge that arose this year, at whatever capacity we were able. Today as the leaves settle around us, we’re still here, still standing our ground. Even if that means only seeking to persist until the next rise of our sun.

Still, I think that this is just the beginning. The time is ripe to expect significant endings and beginnings.

Away from the madness of society, one is free to observe nature’s lessons.

Violent erosion. Gnarled roots. Grey rock, cracked, shattered and worn. A fallen tree. An owls nest. The carcass of a dead deer. Birds, looping around in the open air. There is infinite meaning and endless value in every view, if only we become quiet and open enough to read the scripture of the landscape.

The inspirational pull to make time for this series hit me at the exact same time that COVID 19 reared its ugly head in Canada. As everything began to shut down and with an increased demand for distance, I decided to break free from the four walls of my studio and experience the act of painting 'En Plein air” - in the open air. I was alone, out in nature with nobody to bother me but the birds and the occasional passerby offering lighthearted sentiment or encouragement from afar. We have the kindest of strangers in this province.

The time to myself was a real blessing. It’s amazing how clear things become when you retreat into yourself. Painting from life is an extraction of time; a capturing of the essence of existence during a specific moment in an artist’s experience, and really does force a sense of creating from the present. All painted since March, 2020, my works en plein air seek to explore the act of observation, and most especially how experiencing discomfort can affect both the act and the outcome of the creative process. My goal was to remain in greater equanimity with my surroundings as I attempted to place a bookmark in the current spirit, vitality and essential character of our local landscapes.

This particular body of work aims to open a window into the world of perceiving with blended senses. Through the use of spray-paint and acrylic, each abstract expressionist piece is composed of the colours I see upon hearing or reading it’s title. I Hope you enjoy what you see!

This series of work is both a celebration of these still standing giants and an examination of the extraordinary relationship between human beings and trees.