Pastel Society of Virginia in the News ~ Potomac Artworks

8.04.2011

Pastel Society of Virginia in the News

The Pastel Society of Virginia has a our first exhibit beginning August 27 with the Opening August 28 2-4p. It's very exciting to have a press release that worked!

Thanks to Springfield Connection, page 15, and thanks to Springfield Art Guild for hosting us as well as Springfield Mall for hosting them.

In the mean time, "Breeze By" my Opening tonight at 905 King St in Alexandria for my August show. It features pastels and photography with a few oils and mixed media added for even more variety. I am quite proud of it and especially enjoy hanging so many of my photos. Hey! Free pizza and wine!

Skyline Atmospherics

pastel

11x14 on Pastelbord

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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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8.04.2011