An Honorable Week ~ Potomac Artworks

9.06.2009

An Honorable Week

Paint Herndon was a lot of fun. Encouraging plein air, but not limited to plein air, the competition accepted many of participating. Because the overall focus was Herndon, I chose to paint at Frying Pan Park on Friday evening, at home in this 1930's working farm my son and I have visited many times. To the left is a detail of my painting, Frying Pan Palace, which is an 11x14 oil on linen.

I got up early today to paint the beautiful yellow flowers right on the other side of my court. Neighbors came to visit as I painted and it was a lovely atmosphere. I had been drawn all week to the profusion of yellow flowers in this marshy area as well as the backdrop of shaded woods. This small painting has many layers through brush and knife, with plenty of scraping out, too. It shows the texture I wanted and, wonderfully enough, judge and plein air artist, David Diaz, agreed. He was one of those thorough judges who commented specifically on why he liked a piece as winners were announced and he was gracious enough to come by and elaborate, too. I remember thinking as he was explaining about the many colors, layers, and textures (nuances I wish the photograph has picked up better), "He gets it!," and it was a welcomed Zen moment after a long day. It was also my second Honorable Mention in a week, my Albert Handell in oil.

Across the Way
Oil on canvas
8x10
SOLD

For anyone in Herndon on Labor Day, come see me. I am now qualified to paint at the Herndon Jazz and Wine Festival Monday. Find me around the area that afternoon. I will probably do pastels, as they are easier to haul and take up less space. Also, look in the ArtSpace booth for my work.

I must also suggest you make a special trip to Herndon in the coming weeks to see the impressive Washington Society of Landscape Painters exhibit at ArtSpace. A few of the heavy hitters represented, who I've met, are Sara Linda Poly, Barbara Nuss, and Daniel Wise, the latter an incredible pastelist. It represents the pinnacle of landscape painters in the area and the reception is September 12.

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The Charm of en Plein Air

Much of my work is done en plein air, French for "in the open air." People often associate it with the Impressionists, but the move to paint outside preceded them by a number of decades. The trend to appreciate landscapes as a genre at all was new for the time.

Several characteristics contribute to the distinctive beauty of en plein air painting. They are generally smaller in size in order to be able to capture a scene in a single sitting. Because of the time limit and environmental factors such as the sun and shadows moving, they often lack extensive details and might appear slightly fuzzy or unfinished. Lastly, they tend to have a freshness and spontaneity which makes them impossible to compare to traditional and methodological studio work. That said, my own studio work tends toward the same feel as en plein air, which then identifies my overall style: softness with an edge.

My aim when painting en plein air is for alla prima paintings, which roughly translates for me as "what happens outside, stays outside." It adds another level of difficulty to the work.

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9.06.2009