Heron Pond, Late Summer ~ Potomac Artworks

10.05.2010

Heron Pond, Late Summer

Almost a year ago, I posted my first effort at Heron Pond, Solitude in Splendor, which featured dramatic fall foliage. Several weeks ago, I was able to go back to the same stretch along the neighborhood's walking trail. Unlike ever before, I was struck by the beauty of late summer and this painting shows just that. It is of the same area as the first, but makes the small point the focus instead of the foliage. The reflected sky is daring and almost all watercolor.

Heron Pond, Late Summer
pastel
8x10

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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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10.05.2010