nova-scotia – Ernest Blair Experiment

As Anne and I prepare our palettes for the upcoming 2026 season, I find myself reflecting on the profound bond between geography and plein air art — painting on location.

Magic happens when we bridge the world of art and geography, as in capturing the highest tides in the Bay of Fundy.

I believe that plein air painting is much more than a hobby; it is a vital way of imprinting the landscape onto our soul. Because we immerse ourselves for a few hours into the landscape, we recall so much more. It’s not like snapping a tourist photo and moving on.

As plein air artists, we recall the July heat and wind at Long Point Lighthouse near Twillingate, Newfoundland …

the smell and sound of a violent downpour near Petit Saguenay, Quebec, or in Pakaskwa and Neys Parks, Ontario …

the brilliance of spring colours at Nova Scotia’s Lawrencetown Beach …

or the rise and fall of monster tides at Baxter’s Harbour.

Yes, plein air painting is far more than a simple outdoor hobby. It’s where we move from being passive observers to active participants. This intersection of art and geography links our creative expressions directly to our landscape.

Our interactive community map has already garnered 40,000 views, proving just how much we all crave that spatial link to our surroundings. The current 2026 map includes over 50 paint-out sites.

Close-up of our interactive Plein Air Map around Halifax-Dartmouth (click for more)

The map has become a digital bridge between traditional fine art and modern spatial exploration. Our map is viewed worldwide. Artists outside the region have contacted us to plan their visits to the region, based on the map.

I invite you to witness this connection firsthand starting May 7th at Granary Park, as the Plein Air Artists of HRM begin our weekly Thursday sessions. In the Annapolis Valley, the season begins at the Harriet Irving Botanical Gardens at Acadia University.

Plein Air artists under cover but in cold, drizzly weather (Chester, Nova Scotia)

We paint regardless of the weather—whether it is a “Nova Scotia sprinkle” or a foggy morning—because we believe there is immense beauty and a unique “mood” to be captured in a storm.

For a truly world-class experience, do not miss the Parrsboro International Plein Air Festival from June 16th to 21st, held along the breathtaking Cliffs of Fundy UNESCO Global Geopark (drone footage video).

You will see incredible artists in action, translating the raw structure and light of the coastline into masterpieces.

Whether you join us for a session or just stop by for our friendly group critique around 1:30 pm, you will discover that there is no single “right” way to see the world.

Let’s celebrate “The Geography of Outdoor Art” together this season.

POSTSCRIPT

For anyone interested in exploring/developing Artificial Intelligence in creating a live interactive global plein air map please contact me.

This Tuesday, I met with Jeff Wentzell and David Colville at Spurr Brothers Farm Market & Tap Room for a drink of cider.

Both Jeff and David worked at COGS/AGRG. Besides teaching, David was responsible for a network of climate stations. David has retired. Jeff works for the NS Department of Agriculture. Both Jeff and I left COGS in 2011.

Part of the conversation was about the status of agriculture in the Annapolis Valley. Anyone driving through Clarence will have noticed the increase in vineyards on the slopes of North Mountain.

Talking with David, I was interested in the region’s microclimate network status (see the post COGS Weather Network). Talking to Jeff, I was interested to hear about the use of technology in support of resilient agriculture.

On the drive home, I wondered whether there was a role for COGS (NSCC) in Agri-Geomatics (for example, see Agri-Geomatics: the big data revolution in agriculture).

In recent years the college has introduced a Forestry Geomatics program. Both of these Agriculture and Forestry programs would demonstrate the application of a suite of geo-technologies to different parts of the landscape.

In my previous blog post, I noted the lack of district maps for the town of Middleton. I stand corrected there are no districts within the town. The town’s administrative structure is a Mayor ( Gail Smith) and six council members. In Annapolis County, we have eleven districts. If you wish to discover your district, you can go online, Google search Annapolis County Election District Map and enter your civic address.

Acknowledgements

I want to acknowledge the creativity of Edward Wedler. Edward added the links and graphics. He also transformed the original title ‘Agriculture Geomatics’ into ‘In-Cider talk’.

Tag: nova-scotia

The Geography of Outdoor Art

In CIDER talk