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Beach Cottages at Sunset, Cape May

Beach Cottages at Sunset, Cape May
pastel on Pastelbord 24"x18"

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.

Blog Archive

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Webpages

Please visit all my sites showing my work.

Potomac Artworks
Order Prints of my Paintings
BF Butler Photo
Workhouse Arts Center Artist Profile
Infinity Art Gallery Artist Portfolio

My Instructors

Pastels:
Alan Flattmann
Liz Haywood-Sullivan
Richard McKinley
Maggie Price
Jack Pardue
Jean Hirons
Carol Iglesias
Lynn Goldstein
Nancy Freeman
Ginger White Hergenroeder
Marilyn Gidez
Oils:
Sara Linda Poly
Scott Hutchison
John Blee
Todd Messegee
Watercolors:
Deborah Ellis
Jan Taylor-Day
Colored Pencils:
Maggie Stiefvater
Andrew Campbell

Influences

Kenn Backhaus
Albert Handell
Richard McKinley
Liz Haywood-Sullivan
Kevin McPherson
Andrew McDermott
Camille Przewodek
Jackie Simmonds
Barry Watkin

DC Area Plein Air Sites


These are some local places for landscape painting; most are within an hour of the Beltway. Look here for the complete album, a couple hundred views from my photography collection, which are mapped here.

Fellow Art Bloggers

  • RenĂ© PleinAir
    View at Kessel Reuver, The Netherlands. - View at Kessel. *(picture is clickable!)* Gezicht op Kessel. Reuver, The Netherlands. Oil on panel. 24 x 40 cm.
    1 day ago
  • MAKING A MARK
    Fujiko Rose won Landscape Artist of the Year 2019 in Final at Battersea Power Station - The Final of Landscape Artist of the Year 2019 was broadcast last week - and tomorrow is the 'final' programme in this year's series. It's about the winner...
    2 days ago
  • Daily Campello Art News
    Art Basel Week Miami - the Friday report! - By Friday opening at Pulse, the Maurizio Cattalan stunt with the $120K banana is all over the news and all over Al Gore's Internets. All of a sudden we are...
    3 days ago
  • Small Pastel Studies by Margaret Dyer
    I apologize. - I need to apologize to the people who subscribe to my blog. It appears there is a delay of several hours from the moment I send a new blog post until the...
    4 days ago
  • Artist's Point of View
    Resurrecting the Kauffman Mill - *Kauffman's Mill, *22x45, oil on linen Kauffman’s Mill was built around 1775 on the banks of the Shenandoah River near Luray, Virginia by David Kauffman...
    6 days ago
  • Pastel and Paint: Lesly Finn's Art
    Come Find Me! - Please visit me at - LIGHT AND DARK
    5 weeks ago
  • Charlotte Herczfeld Blog
    Anders Cardinal Arborelius -- A Formal Portrait - First, I want to thank the two people who recommended me as the artist for this portrait. I do not know who you are, but you have my heartfelt gratitude.An...
    5 weeks ago
  • Celeste Paints
    'Fall into Art': November 1, 2019 - *(Delta Dawn, 36x36 Oil on gallery wrapped c)anvas* Thirteen of my large oil paintings are part of of the Newberg Artwalk 'Fall into Art': Friday, Nov 1, ...
    5 weeks ago
  • MAPAPA - News Blog
    Open Studio with Model - Join Artist Pamela Wilde in an Open Studio with Model. *Artists Emporium Gallery* 220 N, Washington Street HdG, MD 21078 *Sunday September 15 9:30am-1pm...
    2 months ago
  • Steven Givler Online
    - On 11 September, 2001 I was in Amman, Jordan as the senior member of a small American military detachment getting a refresher course in Arabic at the Roya...
    2 months ago
  • jackie simmonds artyfacts
    ALASKAN INSPIRATION BOWL - Some years ago I visited Alaska, and during a walk on a glacier, I marvelled at the sights...in particular the "caves" in the ice, with deep, dark turquo...
    3 months ago
  • Artists in Pastel
    Melody Sears - Late Day © Melody Sears*Name*: Melody Sears * URL*: https://melodysearsart.com/ *Bio*: Before launching her own career as an artist, Melody Sears worked f...
    6 months ago
  • Mixed Media Artist
    Stencil your upcycled tee shirts! - I made a tee shirt quilt a few weeks ago with the stockpile of tees that neither the Mister nor I were ever going to wear again. I love how it turned ou...
    10 months ago
  • Karin Wells Studio
    LEONARDO DA VINCI’S GENIUS MAY BE ROOTED IN A COMMON EYE DISORDER - *A close-up of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Salvator Mundi.”* *For centuries, people have theorized about the source of Leonardo da Vinci’s artistic genius. Just ...
    1 year ago
  • Soft Pastel News
    Jean-Edouard Vuillard “Madame Josse Hessel” - Madame Josse Hessel in Vuillard’s Studio, pastel painting by Edouard Vuillard (1868-1940) Edouard Vuillard Date: 1915 Media: pastel Dimensions: 24.75 x 27....
    2 years ago
  • the Painting Activist
    Adjust contrast of a pdf free - Closer to the eye of the shooter, this is because Preview is quite literally applying a filter to each individual page of the PDF you are saving. the proce...
    2 years ago
  • eLIZabeth Floyd Studio
    Valuing Everyday Moments - Elevating everyday moments into fine art In 2012, my husband helped me narrow down my art philosophy into this distinct and simple statement. Five years ...
    2 years ago
  • The Red Shoes
    Roadside Painting - My most favourite way of working is to travel the highways and byways of France, stopping to paint whenever something catches my eye. Today it was the wo...
    2 years ago
  • Barbara Noonan
    Plein Aire Pastel Painting in Seattle - Artists are out there capturing the light in all parts of the Northwest. (especially me this year). Keep an eye out for that easel by the side of the r...
    2 years ago
  • Head for Art - Art 2010
    Still-life in art - Still-life – the painting of ordinary objects without any human presence – was long regarded in the Western world as a lowly art form on the grounds that i...
    2 years ago
  • Deborah Secor: Art and Faith
    Peace After Sorrow - There is a peace that cometh after sorrow, Of hope surrendered, not hope fulfilled. A peace that looketh not upon tomorrow, But calmly on a tempest that is s...
    2 years ago
  • Pastel Workshop
    10 Lessons I’ve Learned from Henri Matisse - Color! - Use color with feeling! Henri Matisse’s name is synonymous with colorist art. His strange use of color, his mounting of colors to their full power, and...
    2 years ago
  • Art Blogs 4 U
    Art Blogs 4 U update - Hello people ..... hoping that you are still finding this site useful. Just popped in to tell you about a new blog the owner has just started. It is an ong...
    3 years ago
  • Elizabeth W. Seaver Fine Art
    Industry - Growing up, it was our family tradition to decorate our tree (even go out and TRY to find one) on Christmas Eve. Advent, the four Sundays before Christm...
    4 years ago
  • Donna Van Tuyl Paints
    The Rest - Meet JJ!! It has been a whole year since I had a series of calamities that caused me to take a needed rest. During my rest period we decided to get anothe...
    4 years ago
  • kathleen daughan paintings
    Two New Paintings on Daily Paintworks - Click this link for Daily Paintworks One of two new paintings just added to the Daily Paintworks website. Oil on cradled birch panel. Painted en plein ai...
    4 years ago
  • Very Best Fine Art Painting by K Best Gillmann
    Painting in Oils & Opening Reception - For my current show, *Land That I Love,* at the Workhouse Arts Center, Building 9 Galleries, I decided to work in oil. To refresh my skills I took a course...
    5 years ago
  • PostSecret
    The New PostSecret Book - See PostSecret videos, discover new PostSecret links, pre-order the new PostSecret book. Visit '*The World of PostSecret*'.
    5 years ago
  • Observe Closely
    The Picnic - Claude Monet 1865 Oil on canvas, 130 x 181 cm Pushkin Museum, Moscow *The Picnic *(the original is 6 by 6 meters!) was unfinished and later rolled up and ...
    5 years ago
  • BF Butler Photo
    Workhouse Collector's Showcase - Watch for more soon on this year's Collector's Showcase 2014 at the Workhouse. The exhibit is on display upstairs in Building W-16 in the McGuire-Woods G...
    5 years ago
  • Daily Pastel Painting
    Still Life Study - Sunday, December 8, 2013 Working on some small pastel still life studies. This piece is available...contact me for details! "Still Life" 6"x8" pastel on La...
    6 years ago
  • Fresh from the Easel
    Holiday Open House, Saturday, November 16, 11-5 pm. - *Alta Peak over the Lake, *20 x 16 inches, oil. Please join me and 20 other artists for art, art making this Saturday, November 16, from 11 - 5 pm. I will...
    6 years ago
  • Tres Hommel
    Spain Workshop, Spring 2014 - YAY! The dates and itinerary are finally organized! Spain is a most beautiful country and a wonderful place to paint. The old town of Ronda, with Roman rui...
    6 years ago
  • PONSHOP Blog
    This Blog Has Moved - That's right Folks - The PONSHOP Blog Has moved Here. We've integrated our blog with the New PONSHOP website. For all those of you that are subscribed to ...
    8 years ago
  • ariel freeman fine art
    Illusions of depth - *Lavender Cascade* Pastel, 18X24 Yes, an underpainting serves as a fundamental purpose, to set the values, and overall color, tone and temperature of a pa...
    8 years ago
  • Daniel Wise, PSA
    - The Art League: The Christmas Attic Is Looking For Window Display Artists!
    8 years ago
  • Susan Ogilvie's Studio Life
    - I know, I know...it's been quite a while since my last post. I've been painting, travelling, teaching...and now that I think about it, 3 seasons have passe...
    8 years ago
  • Art Whino on Urbancode
    Juxtapoz interview with Ekundayo - [image: E1] Ekundayo’s life story is a very unique one (basically his mother and father split and he spent 7 years toted along with his dad on the run unti...
    9 years ago
  • The SAG Creativity Project
    Resource Photo by Tom Kollins -
    9 years ago
  • A Little Bit of Art
    Painting Opportunities - Willow Wisp Farm Studios is making full use of all facilities on the property in an effort to make this a place where artists can come, stay, play and lear...
    9 years ago
  • Artists Blogs, Art Blogs
    Art Blogs, Artist Blogs, Art Blogging - *Latest News:* With no internet access and having been unable to get to an internet cafe for a long period of time, I have decided to switch comments off f...
    10 years ago
  • Student Of Oil
    The Fair Entries Won! - I cannot believe that every single painting that I entered actually won at the fair.My mission painting won "Best Of Show" (you can click any picture to en...
    11 years ago
  • The Pink Line Project
    -
  • Diane McClaugherty Painting News
    -
  • Bec Winnel
    -
  • Artdaily.org
    -
  • Armand Cabrera Workshops - Outdoor & Studio
    -
  • Lou Negri Watercolor Painting
    -
  • Northern Virginia Artists League
    -
  • Rob's Waterco☺ler
    -
  • Maryland Pastel Society, Monthly Drawing Challenge
    -
  • Paintings of France, Italy and Beyond
    -
  • Pastel Society of Tampa Bay
    -
  • The Pastel Pointers Blog
    -
  • Maggie Price ArtBlog
    -
  • Cat Art ::: Blog
    -
  • Art News Blog
    -
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In other words, please don't steal my stuff.
 

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