Collage en plein air
Dantz Run
Recently I took a family trip to the woods outside of Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. The air was crisp and the ground very muddy. A wet winter had left the earth beyond damp, and the forecast for our weekend away featured rain throughout. The colors of the forest were brown with bits of moss green mixed in. I am a plein artist but rarely get out before…
Battlefield Park
In 2017 I visited family in Berea, Kentucky. I made sure to pack my easel in case I was able to get a few minutes to myself during our week-long trip. I was on the lookout for the perfect object to collage as we explored the Berea area. On one of our drives, I had noticed that there were a lot of black barns dotting…
The Pinnacles
I have painted in many different locations, but this particular collage started in a unique place. The piece was titled "On the Top" for a reason! On a warm summer day there was talk of taking a hike with my family. We were going to explore a hiking trail at The Pinnacles in Berea, Kentucky. I was told it was a beautiful area, so I…
Île d’Orléans
Vacations are the perfect place for exploring my artistic side. I make sure to pack my travel easel and bag of supplies into the car with everything else. I've had a lot of wonderful experiences with just my paints, paper and easel. My family visited Quebec City, Canada in 2015. It was an exciting week of immersing ourselves in a new culture. I loved the…
About the blog
Welcome to my blog where I will share my life as a plein air collage artist. Plein air and collage together? That’s correct. Plein air is a french expression, which means “in the open air” and is used to describe the act of painting outdoors. These are the artists you see painting in the middle of a field with their easel and sunhat—the devoted makers who brave the sun and rain, and are up at the crack of dawn to capture the perfect light on their canvas. And then there’s collage—the simplest way I think of collage is creating a new image or object out of a variety of other images and objects.
I will do my best to show a glimpse of what it’s like to be a collage artist that works outdoors. I will share the good, the bad, and the sweaty—I mean ugly. I’ve been doing this for a few years now and have some stories and tips to share. I’ve learned what works through plenty of mistakes. Thankfully, there have been pleasant surprises to make the experience easier. Taking on the challenge of outdoor-making, especially with the medium of collage, has been a wonderful strategy for maturing my abilities. If you have any questions please ask and I’ll do my best to answer them. God bless.