Visitors flock to the West Coast to see and experience its soaring mountain peaks, lush rainforests, rugged coastal waters and the wildlife that inhabits these untouched places. Many Canadians and indigenous peoples have fought for the conservation and preservation of the wilderness. Canadian artists, whether political or not, play a role in offering a unique view and spiritual
interpretation of both Canadian and international wilds, places so remote most of us will never have the opportunity to see them with
our own eyes.
“Many of our top artists gain a lot of their greatest inspiration from painting outdoors,” says Benjamin McLaughlin, director of
communications at Mountain Galleries at the Fairmont. The gallery has a program that encourages its artists to paint en plein air. Artists
are flown into remote areas to paint, especially in Banff and Jasper, Alberta, where the gallery has two more locations. McLaughlin notes
that the artists aren’t just painting from a photograph they found on Google. “By actually being out there hiking, exploring these remote
wilderness places, they’re humbled by what they experience and I think that is reflected within the landscapes that they paint.”
