The Now

Plein air painting and drawing is a type of communion with the natural world. Becoming absorbed in the myriad sounds, smells and shifting light is a spiritual experience. You have to work with swift strokes, responding intuitively to The Now. No time for doubt or ‘should’. It just is. Sometimes the wind or bugs challenge the process – they are my teachers. The frustration that naturally arises can be observed without judgement, with practice. Painting outside is always a big event for me, and doesn’t happen nearly often enough. The art that arrives is what it is in the moment. I never fix anything afterwards. Every stroke is a relic of that particular moment, and can never be replicated. This piece is original in every sense.