On the ONLY Saturday in July that was rainy, two students (Kebbie Gibb and Patricia Lowe) and I made the trek to the Wildflower Farm near Orillia, Ontario for a plein air experience. Challenging the dire weather forecast, we set out anyway and after pressing on through torrential rain and rolling thunder, we were rewarded with fields of just-washed brilliance. This establishment grows native wildflowers and has developed seed mixes for naturalistic meadow plantings (www.wildflowerfarm.com). They were very welcoming to us (there's no fee to paint in the flower fields here, unlike at other establishments I checked with when planning this trip!), and we quickly set up our gear inside a lovely central gazebo that gave us great views across the flower beds amid the clearing drizzle. First we wandered around taking many inspirational photos (which have already been used to generate paintings back in the studio), and then, when the storm fully passed, we ventured out with our easels to capture the fleeting beauty of petals and sunlight. Studio painting is good--but getting out in front of the real thing is always refreshing!
Here are a couple of the resulting paintings, so far!
