MOUNTAIN LIFE - Blue Mountains | Spring 2018

SPRING 2018 ML BLUE 55 As I talk with the Montreal-born, Collingwood-based artist about plein-air, the subject of Tom Thomson— just “Tom”—comes up a lot. Last year, to mark the 100 th year since Tom’s death, Berens and 10 other Ontario landscape painters became rugged pilgrims, tracing his canoe routes through Algonquin Park and Georgian Bay, pinpointing many of the scenes of his works—and painting as he often did, en plein air. In September 2017 Toronto’s Arta Gallery held an acclaimed show, Untamed Things , featuring many of the resulting works. “That tribute to Tom started all this plein-air for me, and I’ve maybe done a dozen in the last year,” says Berens. Venturing outside to paint brought about a change in Berens’ outlook; before, he was primarily what he describes as “a guilty studio artist, painting from photo reference. Tom was painting 100 years ago, backpacking around by himself, and I’m a landscape artist who’d never really gone out there to do it in person.” Watching the river flow, I try to envision the scene as a painting. It still looks dull, almost monochromatic to me, but not to Berens. “I’m trying to make this tree disappear so I can get the background behind it,” he tells me. “And then I do little dash patterns to add to the glow, even if there is no sun.” As he adds his layers, he builds a scene that almost pulses with light and texture. I ask him how he finds a scene to paint. How do you pick one spot over a thousand others? What draws you to a certain portion of land, rock, water, trees and sky? “There’s beauty everywhere. As an artist, you just have to stop and look.” ViewMark Berens’work at Brights Gallery, Blue Mountain Village. brightsgallery.com TOP Haggart Bay. 10x10. Plein air. ABOVE Haggart Bay #3. 10x10. Plein air.