Postcarding en Plein Air
Day 17: Salina, Kansas
This summer, Sugar and I hit the road. The goal was to visit friends post-vaccine and give them really long hugs, making up for lost hugging time. A secondary goal was to get out of the muggy Southern summer.
The humidity was escaped. The heat was not. And since we spent nearly two months between Nevada, Idaho, and Montana, a thick blanket of forest fire smoke blocked the clear, fresh air I’d been hoping for.
Being outside puts me in an entirely different headspace. I can feel my insides open when I go out. This is why I often write postcards outside, and I’m so grateful I kept up this practice, even when the weather wasn’t ideal.
Artists who paint en plein air (French for in the open air) create landscape scenes outdoors, catching the shifting light and shadows throughout the day. I find that light, shadow, and open air make my words flow differently.
I wrote reminiscences of grad school from my friend’s backyard in Oxford, Mississippi. I shared unfiltered thoughts in Kansas fields and penned contemplative messages in The Garden of One Thousand Buddhas in Arlee, Montana.
Day 56: Postcarding at the Garden of One Thousand Buddhas. Photo is really made complete by the shadow of my phone, don’t you think?
Day 76: Splashing in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
The next time you’re stuck, step outside. Amble around a bit. Pay attention to where the light shines, literally and figuratively. Inside basically looks the same way all the time. Outside changes. Postcarding en plein air might just capture something that couldn’t be expressed indoors.
Get out there, darlings. Your masterpiece awaits.
