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.
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.
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.
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
