Mt.A PAP makes it to a competition in P.E.I.
Mt.A’s Plein Air Painting (PAP) club spent Sept. 12 in Charlottetown, P.E.I. PAP members attended the Rooted in Art nature-inspired painting competition, happening in appreciation of the province’s trees and scenery. The outing consisted of seven students who participated in the “Anything Grows” open secondary competition happening in tandem with the main competition between eight selected painters from the island.
All painters had three hours to paint the waterfront scenery of Victoria Park, with the freedom to choose which angle and view of the site to recreate. Luckily, it was a beautiful and warm day for the painters, so they could thoroughly focus their energy and enjoy their time painting. Unfortunately, none of the Mt.A artists present won the grand prize, but the trip was still a great success with everyone present being able to appreciate a change of scenery creatively, and take a small break from any first-week-of-classes stressors.
Founder and president, Daria Gillis, is a second-year fine arts major who started PAP after noticing a lack of art-centred clubs on campus. Gillis recently started the club, winter semester 2026, hoping it could be a way for artists to “go outside,” “build community,” “appreciate surroundings,” and use this as a way to get a “break from the stress of assignments and deadlines.”
“I found it hard to integrate with the community. When I tried to join clubs, I noticed there weren’t many art clubs … and so I saw there was this untapped market, a little niche that people could go to,” Gillis said in an interview with The Argosy. By going to Prince Edward Island, Gillis said she aimed to expose the club’s visibility and style of artwork.
“Plein air painting is good for you. You get to go out in all seasons and appreciate the surroundings, even on days you might think the weather is dreary; you’re forced to find the beauty in it by making art of it,” Gillis said. Adding that although Sackville weather may be known for its persistent greyness, Gillis noted that “every day still has so many colours and things to look at.”
The PAP club was not seen at the Clubs and Societies fair. Gillis stated after submitting for a table, she never received an answer from the MASU.
PAP members go out every Saturday – unless stated otherwise – to capture a location in Sackville in a medium of their choice. Despite the club having painting in the name, members are not held to painting; they may sketch, draw, use pastels, or even embroider the scenery. Outings are typically three hours long, same as the competition length. With all the Sackville winds, it is recommended to layer up.