Painting en plein air with Leslie Baum was a pleasure. 

On the day of our plein air painting date, Leslie and I met in the morning in Monte Castello di Vibio’s main square, Piazza Vittorio Emanuele. We made it to a spot along the wall, knowing we would have to move as the ascended heat grew. Our initial site overlooked textured green and gold fields dotted with various crops. Our session ended in a wooded park, where our gaze shifted inward toward playground equipment and the wall.

Painting one-on-one with a new acquaintance, (now friend) felt generous, open, and revealing – relationship building. Through presence and process, I learned about Leslie and cultivated an awareness of the landscape. 

The paintings that emerged (for me) were not translations of the landscape; they were notes on the experience. Similar to my distance to and emersion in the landscape, the paintings were sensorial and observational notes on feelings, colors, patterns, light, air, and sounds. 

I am filled with gratitude for the experience.