Turners Lane, Easton ~ Potomac Artworks

7.28.2012

Turners Lane, Easton

It was my first trip to Easton. We did a prelim trip a few days in advance; this painting was my practice run. My version during the 2h competitive portion on Saturday was washed out in the deluge; I am in awe of what others accomplished during that time, very glad that one award winner was a pastelist.

Turners Lane, Easton
pen/ink/watercolor/pastel
8x10

2 comments:

PearlMountain said...: It's impossible to say. You got a unique trip.; July 30, 2012 at 9:57 AM
art prints said...: you did a great job on this.. nice start.. keep it up!; August 1, 2012 at 10:13 AM

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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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7.28.2012