Jessie Cook
Palm Coast, Florida

It's mainly since moving to Florida last year that I've discovered the joys and the challenges of plein air painting. Still-life set-ups are so much more cooperative than Nature! But what I like about both still-life and plein air painting is that they are an opportunity to try yourself out, to find surprises in what you experience and what you express. The surprises in plein air painting may be weather- or critter-related, but often enough the surprise is in the beauty you have the good fortune to witness just beyond your canvas.