Plein air art saved us from disaster — and may have even saved our lives!
A massive, cracking thunderstorm with torrential rain struck our campsite.
At the time, we were painting about 20 km south; in Petit-Saguenay, Quebec, a fjordic region of Canada. Mountainous landslides washed out the only access road back to our campsite. About 200 campers, their tents and RVs were left stranded. They had to be airlifted/ boated out. Tragically, two were swept out to sea and lost their lives. It took over a week to be safely escorted back to camp so we could retrieve our tent and gear. What a start to our 5,000 km plein air trek through eastern Canada!
We planned to travel through landscapes painted 100 years ago by Canadian artists Tom Thomson and members of The Group of Seven — from Nova Scotia to northern Lake Superior and back — and to explore our painting styles.
In Ontario, we visited quaint towns that offered mouth-watering bakery products and parks made famous for their breathtaking topography. In Killarney we hiked “The Crack”; the most rugged trail in the La Cloche Mountain Range.
And canoed the lakes. We travelled by rail up The Agawa Canyon. In Neys and Pakawaska we painted near a WWII prisoner-of-war camp. On our return, we enjoyed camp-time with our daughter and grandchildren and painted the farmlands of Huron County.
Every day, our Footsteps East journey remains crystal clear — the squeal of soaring hawks, the fragrance of pine-filled valleys, the fresh breath of morning air along the rocky shoreline of Georgian Bay and the many spectacular skies.
That’s the beauty of plein air art. Every moment is treasured and fully experienced. Even better is when the journey is shared with art lovers and adventurers; locally and from around the globe.
Our trek’s stories, artwork, videos, and interactive map are on our website at Footsteps East.
So what adventures await?
“Footsteps Farther East” is where we tented and painted the landscapes of Newfoundland and Labrador in the summer of 2024. For 2025 it may be rural France and Ireland — even farther east.
Originally submitted to Plein Air Magazine’s “Postcards on the Road”
(now revised including images) by Anne and Edward Wedler
“A Plein Air Pair”
wedlerfineart.com
Ernest Blair Experiment 