Anyone who doubts that landscape art is alive and well only has to visit the McClure Gallery of the Visual Arts Centre, which is currently buzzing with the vibrant landscape paintings of Kay Aubanel and Elisabeth Galante — two local artists who have decided to forgo the comforts of their respective studios in favour of the much more demanding 'plein air' experience.

Their dual exhibition, appropriately titled 'A Brush with Nature', features Galante's spontaneous watercolours and gouaches exhibited side-by-side with Aubanel's more detailed oils and acrylics, resulting in a colourful, mixed-media show that celebrates a back-to-basics approach to painting in the great outdoors.

Aubanel and Galante are no strangers to the local art community, for both have taught at the Visual Arts Centre for more than 20 years.

Though far from producing the traditional, Academic pastorals of bygone eras, the artists have nevertheless remained faithful to the time-honoured idea of getting out and working close to the land — going right to the source for their inspiration.

Outdoor painting has its own set of technical requirements, and then the artist has to contend with any number of natural inconveniences, from high winds and hungry mosquitoes to rapidly shifting shadows. These factors alone would discourage most artists, but Aubanel and Galante have beaten any and all hardships and have come through with a brilliant exhibition that is sure to be remembered as a high point of this year's local art scene.

• 'A Brush with Nature', a dual exhibition by Kay Aubanel and Elisabeth Galante, is on display in the McClure Gallery of the Visual Arts Centre, 350 Victoria Ave., through Dec. 20. Gallery hours are noon to 6 p.m. on weekdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays.

Info: 514-488-9558.