Kathleen Trayner of Victoria sat at Tulista Park looking out to not just the ocean, but the curved pathway to where the water hits the shore for inspiration.
“I really like pathways. You come out here for ocean and sky but what caught me today was this beautiful curve and the curve of the beach…” she said.
Working in regular acrylics, Trayner paints what hits her, using a variety of colours and curves. She also uses what’s called flow acrylics which are more fluid and inky, working well for outdoor painting as well.
Not only was Trayner braving the cold last week, a large group of painters were scattered across the Park as part of Al Frescoes Plein Air painters of Victoria.
Trayner said Plein Air is the name for outdoor painting which came about in the 1870s and ‘80s.
“It was a big deal not to paint in the studio … and to do a finished painting outside. That was the big deal,” she said.
The group is based out of lower Vancouver Island with members from all over the region.
Trayner, who worked in the mid ‘80s in Sidney’s museum, got her art degree in what she referred to as her dark past. It was in the last two to three years that she’s gotten back into painting and has been taking part in it, particularly outdoor painting.
“It’s more than a hobby, it’s something I need to do.”
