Once, during my first year at the Faculty of Architecture, after a watercolor plein air session outside the city, we were on our way back home. Suddenly, a magnificent view unfolded before my eyes: the rays of the setting sun pierced through the first leaves of young trees just beginning to sprout, and the tall grass surrounding them glowed with an ethereal radiance. It was a moment of such profound beauty that I found myself rooted to the spot. With no means to capture it in that fleeting instant, all I could do was stand still and commit as much as I could to memory before the light changed (which lasted only a few minutes).

Subsequently, I returned to that very spot multiple times, always at the same hour during the sunset, yet I never witnessed anything quite like it again.

So, what’s the essence of this story? It underscores the importance of identifying a specific time of day, the right lighting, and the weather when you encounter a landscape that resonateswith you, especially during a particular season. Even seemingly trivial factors, such as the water level in the river, can play a role.

The key is to swiftly create an oil plein air sketch and, of course, take a picture. However, the sketch holds greater importance because it captures the genuine colors and emotions of that fleeting moment. This is what I refer to as “the beauty of the moment.”

This is why, to me, oil plein air paintings always feel alive and are really important to continue working – they preserve those initial impressions.

And how I yearn to convey this beauty later on a larger canvas.

If you found something in my work that resonated with you, it means I’ve achieved something worthwhile.

Thank you for sharing your time.

                                                                                                                     Oleg L. Gorovyi