Designer's Choice ~ Potomac Artworks

7.11.2010

Designer's Choice

The quiet time had come for me at the Workhouse. My Featured Artist show was over and I was looking to gear up for what the Fall brings. But I have good news in between!

This month I was chosen at the Designer's Choice among the Workhouse Associates "for a piece or body of work." I'm not sure which criterion I met, but the large, pretty gold star is attached to Skyline Stands, so I'll assume that's my lucky ticket.This show will be on display through August 1.

The Designer's Choice is an award presented by professional designers of Association of Interior Design Professionals (AIDP), who work closely with the Workhouse fulfilling the desires of their clients as they tour with them through the galleries and studios, perhaps taking pieces to the clients' home for viewing in situ. Participating artists all over the campus sign up for the MAD Artist! program to allow their paintings to receive some extra mileage.

Many thanks to AIDP and the Workhouse for making this possible.

1 comment:

ariel freeman said...: Congratulations Bonnie! Well deserved recognition.; July 11, 2010 at 9:06 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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7.11.2010