Reconnecting with Nature through Plein Air Painting

There is nothing more healing than a deep connection with our natural world, especially in this modern society that requires so much energy to maintain.

I’ve struggled with a multitude of different health issues throughout my life, both physical and mental, as I’m sure so many of you can relate. Throughout these struggles I’ve experimented with a lot of different healing modalities, but nothing has had as profound or as immediate of an effect as time spent in connection with mother nature. Mother nature has taught me that health is earth embodied, and the more time I spend in healthy outdoor environments, the better I feel.

So while I do absolutely believe that art can be a really powerful healing ally, I don’t believe that art alone can heal us. We need connection with our surroundings - with the trees, plants, animals, waters, bacteria, and minerals that keep life on this planet circulating. And this is why I LOVE to take my painting practice outdoors, combining two of my favorite peace-inducing activities.

If you’ve been following along, you’ll know that I’ve spent the past several months deep in a practice of figure painting through the archetype series. Painting myself as seven different feminine archetypes took me on quite the journey of self-discovery. It was through the fragmentation of my personality, the seeing myself through multiple lenses, that I started to wonder who I really was. If I could be seven different women, then what does it look like when I’m not just one, but all of them at once? What does it look like to feel whole and complete? Throughout the whole series I was asking myself this question, trying to visually summarize wholeness

It wasn’t until I was painting the last archetype in the series, the wise old Crone, that the picture of wholeness became clear. All this time I was painting myself as the central focus, exploring the I, the ego, the perception of myself through this body. And while each archetype taught me valuable lessons, none of them felt like they could truly convey who I am in totality.

In search of a way to visually represent the wholeness of being human, I reflected on the moments in my life that I felt most whole and a common thread started to emerge. I realized that I felt most whole when I felt a part of something much larger than myself. I felt most whole when surrounded by giant redwood trees, when I was swimming in an incredibly vast, mesmerizingly blue ocean. I felt most whole watching the sunset high up in the mountains. I felt most whole when connected to nature, when I felt small in her presence, so small that I became a part of the landscape itself. Insignificant and absolutely in awe of the beauty that exists here on this planet.

This realization has sparked so much creativity within me, and I’m so excited to share that with all of you. There’s a new series in the ideation phase that I’ll be working on soon. But in the meantime, I’m leaning on this connection to nature and practicing landscape painting in preparation for what’s to come.

I never used to pay much mind to landscape painting. I always found it more fascinating to create my own worlds, but plein air painting has completely shifted my perspective. It’s rare that I would spend 2 hours deeply observing one little spot in nature, but plein air painting made me look at nature with new eyes, deeply observing every little speck of light and shadow, every shape that the tree makes and how it’s all connected. And I feel so lucky that I get to take that peace home with me and hang it on my wall. 

Art gives us the opportunity to bring the outside in, to feel a sense of peace in a chaotic world. The power of art is becoming more and more known to me and I’m so incredibly grateful and humbled that I have the opportunity to create these experiences of peace, not just for myself but for others as well.

Health is earth embodied, and let’s face it - most of us don’t have the privilege of being able to be feral nature creatures roaming the magical lands that make up this planet. The modern world demands a lot of us and we have a lot of work to do collectively to get back to a place where we can all live in harmony with nature. But thankfully, we have art, we have an opportunity to bring the beauty of nature into our homes, offices, and daily lives. And I truly believe that the more often we can create these moments of wholeness for ourselves, the more healthy and happy we’ll become. 

Here’s a link to my nature-inspired art shop where you can purchase original paintings. Reach out to request commissions.

Much love,

Summer