Canvas, paint, brushes and survival gear – it’s everything a wilderness landscape artist needs.
“I always paint better under extreme conditions,” Dominik Modlinski told This is BC.
The Nanaimo resident has had some wild experiences travelling to far-off regions around the world.
“You’re kayaking, backpacking, off-roading, being on an ice-breaker,” he said, recalling some of his trips.
As a teenager, Modlinski spent a lot of time outdoors near Warsaw, Poland. That’s where he developed a sense of adventure that he now pushes to the extreme for his art.
“Once you get home you kind of scratch your head and think, ‘geez I did that! That could have been problematic, you know’,” Modlinski said.
It’s taken him to some of the most remote corners of six different continents to see places that only the locals know how to access.
Each journey is filled with many unforeseen challenges, random diversions, and some terrifying passes on a motorcycle.
“Sometimes we would drive over a small suspension bridge literally made of planks and hope for the best,” Modlinski added.
All for the chance to immerse himself in some amazing landscapes.
“It fits my soul, my mind and my heart,” the artist said.
Despite the elements, altitude sickness, tipped boats and broken bikes, Modlinski has a lot of exploring still to do to capture a world few see with their own eyes.
“These are the types of adventures that make my paintings much richer,” he said. “I think I’ll keep going until basically, I can’t.”