TA Loeffler takes a hike and 'chases some painters'

Adventurer and outdoor educator TA Loeffler has found a way to combine her passions for geography, photography and physical activity with a little bit of Canadian art history.

Standing on a small hill overlooking Quidi Vidi Village, Loeffler lines up the same angle on her mobile phone as depicted in the Lawren Harris painting Quidi Vidi, Newfoundland.

"We're looking at paintings that were [painted] over a century ago, so of course some of the buildings are different and some are the same," said Loeffler,

"But the rocks and the horizon haven't changed, so that gives us clues as to whether we are in the right position or not."

Iconic Canadian visual art

Lawren Harris was a member of the Group of Seven, whose members are probably the best known Canadian visual artists.

From 1920 to 1933,the seven landscape painters created iconic works depicting the Canadian wilderness.

Several members of the Group of Seven also spent time painting in Newfoundland and Labrador, which, at the time, wasn'tpart of Canada.

'Following the Group of Seven'

Loeffler and her partner attended a virtual talk called "Following the Group of Seven," in which a pair of canoeists visited spots in mainland Canada that had been the inspiration for works by the artists.

Soon after, the couple was thinking about a place to go for a short walk.

"We remembered this talk and we said, 'Oh, maybe it's time to go chase some painters,'" said Loeffler.

Loeffler studies the paintings, tracks down their locations, and then takes photos that correspond with the original works.

Loefflerhas been posting the images of the original artworks and her present day photos on social media, with the hashtag NLGeoArt.

New appreciation

"What I find is I'm looking at these paintings, I'm looking at them in all new ways. The angles of the landscape, the rocks, the light, the time of day it was painted, the liberty of the artist in how it was painted," said Loeffler.

Loeffler said her project is giving her new appreciation of the landscapes in the St. John's area that she knows so well.

"It's just having that sense of awe, and knowing a place deeply," said Loeffler,

"Because when we know a place deeply, then we will care for it deeply as well."

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