Susan Luckey Higdon, Tracy Leagjeld and Sarah B. Hansen opened a shared exhibit, “Connections”, at Tumalo Art Co., April 3, from 3-7pm during the Old Mill District First Friday Gallery Walk. The exhibit will be up through April 2026.
The three friends have been painting together en plein air since 2019 in the Central Oregon Cascades. Each fall, they gather for the annual trip, camping for several nights, spending their days painting on site, immersed in the landscape. At the heart of their tradition is connection—to one another, to the creative process, and to nature herself. Returning home, each artist carries fresh inspiration and a renewed sense of purpose into the studio, completing more deeply felt works that reflect the shared experience and the landscape that shaped it. Plein air paintings, made within speaking distance of each other, are shown along with larger studio pieces.
Painting plein air is a way of seeing deeply. While working as quickly as possible to chase the light, the artist also slows down and notices details that would otherwise be overlooked. The three agree that after being outside painting, “we’re both exhilarated and exhausted. There’s really nothing like it.”
