Pastel Demo for Second Saturday, Workhouse ~ Potomac Artworks

11.11.2011

Pastel Demo for Second Saturday, Workhouse

In preparation for my Featured Artist Exhibit at the Loft Gallery in Occoquan in December, I am doing a pastel demo at the Workhouse's Second Saturday from 6-8pm this weekend in Building W-16.

The upcoming theme will be Coming Clean: Clotheslines in Italy and I'll be working on a piece for hanging next month at the Loft.

Here's a nibble of something else that will be in the show, although it is one of the few things with lines and no laundry.

Valley Lines

4x10

pastel

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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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11.11.2011