PSV at the Hylton Center, GMU-Manassas ~ Potomac Artworks

5.05.2012

PSV at the Hylton Center, GMU-Manassas

Join the Pastel Society of Virginia at the Hylton Center of GMU-Manassas for an exhibit of our members. Artists will be on hand for Prince William Arts Council's Arts Alive on May 6 and a reception before the symphony on May 12, 5:30-7pm. The exhibit runs through June 9 and is available during the center's hours of operation.

Image: Kathy Waltermire's Born to Swim

My paintings exhibited include several paintings related to Prince William and Fairfax Counties as well as this one of Thor's Hammer in Utah:

Thor's Hammer, Bryce Canyon, UT
soft pastel
9x12 matted to 12x16

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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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5.05.2012