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50 States Travel - Plein Air Paintings and Stories - An Artist's Travels
The Quest to Paint Plein Air in the 50 States Ever since I can remember, the idea of a grand quest to give shape and meaning to life has held a fascination for me. Exactly what that quest was to be was not revealed to me until 2007. My love of art, plein air painting and being out in Nature as well as writing stories about these experiences would be the natural catalyst for discovering the nature of my quest. Several years ago I read Wolf Kahn's book about painting in many different States and Countries around the world. Shortly thereafter, I was talking with a friend about how many different States we had both visited so far. That is when I got the idea of painting in each of the States. It would have to be in person, of course. Taking photos and then doing art from the photos back in my studio would definitely NOT count! In order for the quest to have purity of purpose and intent, it would be necessary to actually do the work on the ground and physically do paintings on location in each State. How else could I then write about the experience? You have to live these things one at a time. When you spend time in one place closely observing nature and the landscape during the plein air painting process, it is easy to feel more closely connected to that place than if you had just zipped by it in a car. Encounters with people, animals and weather make for an ongoing adventure to be savored, enjoyed and sometimes endured and survived. So I am now embarked upon this quest to “Paint the 50 States”. In the process of Painting the States, I am finding myself painting in many of our amazing State and National Parks along the way. Preservation of our Parks is taking on great and greater urgency as State and National Government funding for these beautiful places is reduced. If you are a plein air painter and want to contribute 10% of the sale of your artwork painted in or about State and National Parks, please go to:
www.paintthe parks.com to find out more about how we can all help keep our parks funded. Every effort -no matter how small, helps.
To check out my own journey to Paint the States, keep reading as I add pages.
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