MOUNTAIN LIFE - Blue Mountains | Spring 2018

SPRING 2018 ML BLUE 53 žIž'm filling in all the shapes, and figuring out my horizon.ž Dressed in several layers of sweaters, a faded Maple Leafs hoody, and a bomber hat against the chill, Berens starts on his small field easel with a few strokes that appear random, resembling nothing in nature, yet. We’re at a bend in the river, the shallows choked with deadfall, and the far bank overgrown with cedar, their winter-faded green dominating the scene. Berens, who works in oils, sees in the landscape a nuance and variety that escapes me. For my benefit, he’s telling me what he’s seeing as he paints it. “We’ve got layers of trees here…” he trails off as he stabs at his canvas. ”I’m filling in all the shapes, and figuring out my horizon.” He points to the dead trees lying across the riverbed and says, “I might take a couple of these logs out…” (He means, erase them from his picture, not physically move them.) TOP LEFT Berens with his field easel, Pretty River Provincial Park. NED MORGAN. ABOVE Winkler Island Twilight. 60x40. Studio piece.