A Calgary-based artist who specializes in plein-air painting will share his works and his appreciation for Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park on Dec. 6, during a presentation at the Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation's facility.
Stephen Purdy, who calls northwest Calgary home, spent much of last summer at nearby Glenbow Ranch, painting the scenic views and landscapes that he could find throughout the sprawling park lands in west Rocky View County.
While he had been to the park before for hikes and walks, Purdy said the summer of 2022 was when he really discovered everything Glenbow Ranch has to offer.
“It’s fairly close to my home and I really appreciate the fact it’s a fairly naturalized park,” he said. “There’s just not too many of those around. Most naturalized land is all privately owned and you’re not allowed on it. I appreciate the fact I can go out there and roam around for half a day or thereabouts and paint.”
An architect by trade, Purdy has been painting for most of his life, but he said he's only recently begun to invest more time in his hobby.
Plein-air (French for open-air) painting involves setting up an easel and painting a scene. Purdy said this type of painting can be calming, but also challenging, as he is pressed for time before the changing location of the sun has altered his lighting.
“You really only have between two and four hours to do a painting outside,” he said.
The long-time artist said his work is mostly inspired by nature – something he can find in abundance at Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park. Having spent so much of last summer perched on his stool at the park with his pencil or paintbrush in hand, Purdy has produced 30 to 40 paintings or sketches of vistas he has found there, in various stages of completion.
“I think nature has an awful lot to offer in terms of painting,” he said. “Painting is obviously [about] tone, which is dark or light colours, shapes, patterns. You can’t find it better anywhere else other than nature. There’s a lot of beauty to see, and you try to interpret that with a paint brush and paint.
“Is it calming? Maybe it is calming, but it’s also a challenge, and a lot of fun.”
While working on one of his paintings last summer, Purdy said he bumped into Monica Beckett, the educational program coordinator for the Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation – the non-profit foundation that monitors and maintains the provincial park.
Beckett asked Purdy if he'd be interested in presenting his paintings and giving a talk at the foundation's facility, and he agreed to do so.
“As an artist, I’m more of a visual person than a talker, but I'll have my paintings to show and a little PowerPoint presentation,” Purdy said. “But essentially what I want to talk about is my appreciation for the park and my adventures there through the summer – the places I visited, the things I saw, and the pictures I painted.”
The Dec. 6 talk will start at 7 p.m. at the Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation's on-site facility at 255001 Glenbow Road. For tickets, email [email protected] or call 403-851-9053. In addition to Purdy's presentation, some of his paintings will be available for purchase.
What Purdy hopes audience members will take away from his upcoming talk is the immense gratitude he's developed for Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park, which he likened to a nearby natural oasis from Calgary's urban sprawl.
“We’re very fortunate to have that kind of facility for public use,” he said. “Right now, I’m looking out over northeast Calgary and it’s all rooftops and highway spaghetti. It’s a rare occasion so close to a city to have such a beautiful, naturalized park setting.
“I had a good time through the summer months, developing my craft out there.”
