The sounds of the canal are as enjoyable as the sights. The continual clang of the lines against sailboat masts, the water lapping against the boat, Canadian Geese honking overhead, the diesel engine gurgling down the canal. Plein air painting is as much about sounds, as sights. It is all wavelengths. When you look at John Singer Sargent’s paint sketches from Venice, you come to understand why it’s so important to live in what you paint, or as Frank McCourt said, “Write what you know.”
