Painting Outside
A plein air painting made by Laura Andrews at Lebanon Hills Regional Park.
A Lifelong Subject
I grew up next to the woods and spent my childhood playing outside: painting outside isn't all that different. Seeing and experiencing a place, being in that place, feeds my artistic process. If you paint on location, seasons and the weather are going to continually change your subject. The light, atmosphere and color shift each day, throughout the day, making painting what you see a very interesting equation. Over time my approaches and methods have shifted, but the challenge of connecting to a color, a sense of depth or a particular shape I see and interpreting it in paint has retained its ability to energize and delight.
Painters at Lebanon Hills Regional Park.
Out of the Studio & Into the Woods
Teaching and facilitating other artists to interact with nature through art is important to me. The history of a location and the multifaceted sensory inputs ground my own practice, and I love seeing other artists be inspired to try new things in their work because of their experiences on location. Opening oneself up to the unpredictability of being in the woods instead of a studio or in a field instead of a classroom allows for new and unexpected colors, textures and reactions in paint.
Sarah Hunt and Laura Andrews painting at Lebanon Hills Regional Park.
Plein air study.
Laura painting in a field.