Firebricks and Frames Exhibition Series: Save the Date ~ Potomac Artworks

5.15.2011

Firebricks and Frames Exhibition Series: Save the Date

I am very excited to be a part of this solo show series, which begins in June. The kick off will be June 8 at 7pm in Alexandria. My own show, Breeze By, will be up for the month of August. It will combine painting and photography, the mundane from a summer day made even more beautiful. The Opening will be Thursday, August 4, 6-9p.

Quite a diverse group, other participating artists are Marsha Brown, Meghan Coyle, Camden Noir, Tracey Wilkerson, Jessica Hopkins, and Vaughn Cottman.

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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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5.15.2011