I mentioned in my artists statement and alluded to it in my blog title that when we experience the scenic outdoors, we feel drawn to it, nurtured by it, and we seek its solace whenever we can. Our senses become engaged. We feel alive, while savoring the slower pace in order to fully experience the beauty around us! It’s the outdoor landscape that fuels my art.
Recently I came across the American Hiking Society National Trails Day held the first weekend in June. Seems like there’s a day for everything! What I found interesting and wanted share here is their interactive map that showed all the hiking events being held in all the different states. I thought it might be a nice tool to scout out potential areas for gathering material for future paintings or doing some plein aire painting.
Living in Texas I clicked around on the map and found a state park I had not heard of near San Antonio called Government Canyon. So what does a person do when you don’t know about something? Google it like others do. What I learned was the Government Canyon State Natural Area has more than 40 miles of hiking and biking trails that range from remote rugged canyon lands to gently rolling grasslands.The rugged canyon description caught my attention. Although I won’t be visiting it the first weekend in June, it’s something I plan to do to see if it includes possible subjects for future paintings. It looks promising.

Maybe there’s something that will inspire you nearby where you live by checking out the website for the American Hiking Society National Trails Day.

Perhaps you too can get out and enjoy the beauty of the landscape and seek its solace and recharge. If you find a landscape that inspires you and you’d like a painting of it, check out my art work commissions page. It’s a super easy process to get a painting made just for you.