Returning to Plein Air
learning on trail
in late 2024, a friend invited me to a weekend-long plein air workshop in Monterey that deeply challenged my sensibilities and skills as an artist.
Painting outdoors in nature is a moving meditation.
It is a place to finally let go of outcome, and simply be in a state of wonder around what is possible.
Plein air is also a practice I can tap into on the trail regardless of my chronic illness. The practice is slow, steady, and filled with care.
I made three videos this year
about my experience with plein air
Mt. Diablo - May 2025
the golden color of the glowing poppy hillside gets more intense at golden hour. I returned to the same spot later in the day to capture the poppies before they closed up for the night to rest.
Oil painting made from an afternoon of observation at Shell Ridge in the Mt. Diablo Foothills.
6”x8” on Clayboard Panel — Unframed
Oil painting from observation of Mount Diablo’s Shell Ridge poppies at sunset in late May 2025.
6”x6” on Clayboard Panel — Unframed
Exploring Humboldt - April 2025
Painting in the forests and coasts I long to live around was a perfect way to explore while my future retreat center collaborators hiked similar spaces.
The act of observing and playing with paint was a space of access and celebration. The place where I could still be in connection with the magic of nature, despite a spinal injury.
plein air painting of Wedding Rock at Sue Meg State Park, painted from observation on site.
5”x7” Oil Painting on Claybord Panel — Unframed
The Redwood Forests of Humboldt County are truly one of the most magical places I have experienced as a human.
Sharing little slices of their beauty feels like an honor for me at the easel.
Plein air study of a Redwood Snag in the Arcata Community Forest in April 2025.
5”x7” Oil Painting on Clayboard Panel — Unframed
re-learning and fumbling - Monterey, CA - October 2024
I studied observational/figurative painting in art school, but I had forgotten the pleasure and challenge of painting from observation until this trip challenged and pushed me out of my comfort zone.
this was also my re-introduction to oil painting after abandoning the practice and giving my paints away in 2017.
fumbling at catching a wave in motion. Oil on Canvas panel at Garrapata State Park
Carving out the Cypress Trees at Lover’s Point in Monterey, CA
