Canadian artist J. Allison Robichaud received a subscription to PleinAir magazine on his 81st birthday, and the articles motivated him to keep going outdoors to paint, even on one of last days of 2012. His annual production was down a bit, to only 125 paintings, because he’d spent time setting up a new studio.
“I guess it is unusual for an 81-year-old person to be out painting in the snow, but that’s just what I was doing on December 29,” J. Allison Robichaud explains. “I completed my 125th painting for 2012, which was slightly off my usual 150. I had to take time off to move to a new city and convert the garage into a studio.
One of the artist’s plein air landscapes
“When people are surprised that I still paint year-round, I tell them the challenge isn’t the painting part, it’s getting myself motivated to get out the door. Once I’ve done that, the rest is a privilege. Overcoming inertia is the only real battle.”
Robichaud has written two books and is now compiling a book on plein air painting. He says, “I have lots of stories and tips to include in the publication and hope to finish it before the end of 2013.” For more information, e-mail [email protected].
