Skyline Backbone ~ Potomac Artworks

11.22.2009

Skyline Backbone

I volunteered recently as a studio sitter at Workhouse artist Eileen Olson's place in #505 and took the opportunity to work on an oil. The chunky nature of deep gallery wraps interests me and I'd only done one in the past. They're so much fun, I see more in my future.

This piece used a reference photo I'd taken along Skyline Drive not far from the Blueridge Parkway. Given the chance, I pull off the winding road at every opportunity to take a plethora of photographs. And I'm so happy when I pull one out to paint.

Skyline Backbone
oil on deep gallery wrap, painted sides
8x8
SOLD

2 comments:

Unknown said...: Awesome

-kyle
www.ArtSavvy.com; November 24, 2009 at 4:08 AM
DEE said...: Wow and they say a picture speaks a thousand words. They are just as beautiful as they are in person. Great job.

Dee; November 30, 2009 at 7:14 PM

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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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11.22.2009