SAG: Green Springs and Goodwin House ~ Potomac Artworks

10.13.2010

SAG: Green Springs and Goodwin House

The Springfield Art Guild and Friends of Green Spring Garden Park Fall 2010 Art Show And Sale runs until October 25 at various venues within Green Spring Gardens in Alexandria. My three pastels are all housed in the horticultural center.

Also in SAG news, the annual show at Goodwin House, 4800 Fillmore Ave. in Alexandria, will have a Opening reception and Power Point show featuring the artists' paintings and statements for this "On My Vacation" exhibit from 3-5pm on October 17. This show runs October 2 through November 20.

2 comments:

Donna said...: Love, love, love! You are so talented.; October 19, 2010 at 6:49 AM
Bonnie said...: Thank you so much, Donna, and thanks for coming by. Great to hear from you!; October 19, 2010 at 6:47 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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10.13.2010