Blue Mountains Foundation for the Arts Plein Air exhibit launched on July 24 at the Simcoe Street Theatre, runs until Sept. 8
Back in 2021 after the pandemic started, a Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts Plein Air group started so area artists could paint together while remaining socially distanced outdoors.
The Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts launched the 2024 Plein Air exhibit at the entrance to the Simcoe Street Theatre on Wednesday with an opening reception. The exhibit will call the space home until Sept. 8.
“The things that happened because of COVID,” said painter Heather Smiley, with a laugh.
All members of the Plein Air group are members of the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts through yearly membership. Smiley was one of the first members that signed up for the Plein Air group, and has seen it evolve over the past few years.
Since forming, the group has grown to about 50 members, with about 20 showing up each time the group gets together for a painting session.
A schedule is set every season based on suggestions from members with locations chosen in advance, and two painting sessions per week. Locations this past year included the Creemore Museum Gardens, Millennium Park and Fireman’s Park in the Town of the Blue Mountains, with some private property owners even offering up their land as inspiration.
Plein air painting is landscape painting done on location. The style has a strong tradition in Canada, best known through the art of Emily Carr, Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven.
“It literally means painting outside,” said Smiley.
As painters of all skill levels are welcome, Smiley said mentorship relationships have formed naturally within the group over time, with more seasoned painters offering advice to painters who are new to the craft.
“There’s a lot of camaraderie,” said Smiley. “Visual arts can sometimes be a lonely thing because you usually do it by yourself.”
“A lot of us have become friends because of this,” she said, adding that’s it’s been a great way for people who are new to the area to meet people with similar interests, while also learning about the nature of South Georgian Bay.
Amber Ebert, director of operations for the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts, said the Plein Air group is the largest group overseen by the foundation.
“It’s free for our members to be able to participate,” said Ebert.
All the paintings displayed at the Simcoe Street Theatre are for sale, with the funds split between the BMFA and the artist.
More information about the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts’ Plein Air group can be found here.
