Plein air as meditation

I spend much of my time outside discovering fresh imagery, exploring the local landscape and cityscape with my mobile painting gear. On the surface, plein air is an opportunity to paint first hand from life. No filter of cameras, computer screens deciding visual emphasis. And while there are often discomfort issues to deal with painting on location, the human eye is so much more nuanced and able to contend with direct observation of complex natural lighting.

There is another component to being physically present which can provide an affinity that transcends a photograph brought back to the studio. The creative process goes beyond merely breaking down visual elements and formal representation. Searching for a subject, setting up, executing a value pre-sketch and then on into the actual painting process all demands a commitment to patiently invest the time to value the subject. Plein air painting is aspiring to be in the moment, being meditatively still, considering surfaces, form, the visual landscape. The entire process is enhanced by conversations with passers by, the ever changing light and weather and flow of the neighborhood. It’s a striving to be present through the act of of painting where mundane places begin to reveal a hidden tapestry unfolding.

I've spent a generous portion of my aesthetic journey painting many varied types of subject matter, so it's not easy to label me as a landscape , sky, figurative, cityscape or floral artist. I enjoy interpreting it all. It's the miraculous phenomena of light that perennially inspires me. I never seem to tire of glowing light weaving across and through. Each stroke rendering a creative shorthand of this visual conversation. A humble art prayer to the wonder of it all.

Welcome to my adventure, ​​​​​​​as I portray my visual journey by conjuring poetic expressions on a sea of light.

Sketching on Mt Lemmon in the Santa Catalina Mountains near Tucson, AZ.