Posts Tagged ‘plein air painters’
Subject and Vision of the Plein Air Painter
Every good painting is about something, and that “something” is more than the literal subject matter. The most exciting plein air paintings offer a unique interpretation of the world by focusing on an aesthetic experience that becomes the painting’s reason to be.
On the most basic level, every representational painting is, in part, about content and subject matter. On another level, the subject is a vehicle for the artist to explore the visual language of painting: color, composition, value, form, movement, and the paint itself. Is the subject the barn sitting at the end of a field, or is it about a color experience – a red shape poised against a green field? Which event is the dominant statement – the barn or the color experience?
Plein Air Painters’ Workshop
Anna and I just returned from a weekend at Hameau Farms near Belleville, PA. We left Friday afternoon for a plein air painters’ workshop with Susan Nicholas Gebhart from that area.
We had a small problem with a flat tire on the way there. Otherwise we had a great weekend, met several new friends, had delicious food and a great workshop.
Site Selection for the Plein Air Painter
There are a variety of landscape subjects that are difficult to paint on a canvas. They may have wonderful color or possess great depth, but lack the spatial cues needed to suggest space in a two-dimensional painting.
Michael Albala in his book Landscape Painting lists some questions that plein air painters should ask themselves: 1) Are the various parts of the scene adequately differentiated? Do the values, colors and shapes distinguish themselves or do they blend together? 2) Is there a cross light that produces a light side and a shadow side to reveal the volume of the forms? Would a different vantage point reveal more cross light? 3) If the scene does not have enough cross light (as in sunrises, sunsets and overcast days), can the flat shapes be organized in a way that moves the eye through the landscape. Are there enough overlaps, scale differences and distinct value zones? 4) Have you included overlapping elements and elements that vary in scale to help indicate a layered space? (to be continued)
The Artist’s Statement
Today as I was poking around trying to find a topic about which I could write that would interest landscape painters and other interested folk, I came upon someone who wrote articles on artists statements and resumes. The best source I found was http://www.squidoo.com/artist-statement#module15692582 .
This article lists books and articles by a variety of people listing why and when an artist would need a statement and how it should be written. So if you are having problems writing your artist statement, resume or CV, I hope this will be of help.
Palettes
Usually palettes are made of wood or glass. Because wood has a natural middle-value tone that makes it easier to judge values of color mixtures, this is a favorite of many plein air painters. French easels come with a wooden palette and some of the Pochade boxes have glass palettes built into the lids. Disposable paper palettes are also available, but are often white which provides a very high value contrast for color mixing. Recently, Richeson came out with a grey-tone palette which might be a better choice.
Palette boxes are available for keeping the paint from drying between painting sessions. The palette box by Masterson can be tightly closed and holds palettes up to 12” x 16”. I put mine in the freezer to further preserve the paint.
The Pochade Box
Plein air painters are usually oil painters, although a few work in acrylics or watercolors. If an artist paints small pictures, he/she often uses a Pochade box to carry such essentials as paints, brushes and canvas board. Pochade boxes can be very small, say for a 3” x 5” painting or smaller, or medium size for paintings up to 12” x 16”.
A Pochade box attaches to a tripod which can be adjusted to various heights. The tripod may have its own carrying case which might also carry a roll of paper towels and leak proof can for cleaning brushes and a cup for medium. The advantage to a Pochade box is that it is light; the disadvantage is that it is expensive and can only be used for small paintings.
Chincoteague Paint Out – 2010
This past weekend was the annual Chincoteague Paint Out in VA, about an hour from my home. It is famous for its pony pennning in July when wild ponies from the barrier island, Assateague, are hearded across the water to the mainland and auctioned. The proceeds go to the Volunteer Fire Department. Ponies which are too small or otherwise inappropriate for auction are sent back to Assateague. Doing this also keeps the numbers of horses on the island in check.
For the Paint Out, 42 artists arrived on Thursday or Friday and were plein air painters until Saturday evening, some painting scenes like the photo attached. At that time, the paintings were hung and the public invited to view and buy. There were many visitors Saturday evening and many paintings sold. In past years, this sale has amounted to over $10,000 (in 3 hours’ time!) with 25% going to the local Art League. Chincoteague is such a charming town and being there is a wonderful experience!
What is Plein Air Painting?
While it may seem like there is a typo in the title to this blog post, the expression “en plein air” is actually French. As you can probably imagine, the phrase translates simply as “in the open air” and is used to describe painting outdoors. For hundreds of years artists have been taking their easels outside to find inspiration, but plein air painting was particularly in vogue among the Impressionists of the mid-19th century.
Many artists claim that the main advantage of painting outdoors is the lighting. The light outside is referred to as diffuse light and creates a “large white umbrella.” Not only does the lighting behoove the painter, but it is also obviously beneficial to be in nature when you are attempting to capture it in all of its glory.