I love painting outdoors…in painter-speak this is called “Plein Air”, a French term for “in the open air” and advocated by the French Impressionists. There is a an inspiring quality to being outdoors and experiencing the softness of the air, the smell of pine, the warmth of the sun on your back, and the song of birds flitting around your easel. Montana has the vistas to inspire a painter to put up with other, not so pleasant conditions, to capture the light and the experience of being right there in that moment of time.
“The Beckoning” is a somewhat imaginary landscape that was inspired by a typical forest scene near my home. The inspiration for this piece was the light that was streaming through the trees and highlighting the grasses that were starting to turn color at the end of summer. It felt magical as I stood there in the meadow and painted what I saw in my mind’s eye.
The studio painting was developed further to give the viewer a path toward a spot that beckons beyond the trees. As one walks through the painting, one feels the coolness of the shadows, the rustle of the grasses, and the whisper of a light breeze.
Romp in this meadow and smell the sweet aroma of late summer!
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