AA OCT Plein Air:AA feature

Transcription

AA OCT Plein Air:AA feature
SPECIAL REPORT: Plein Air Painting
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American Artist
www.myAmericanArtist.com
SPECIAL REPORT: Plein Air Painting
Starting in Rome in the 17th century and eventually making its way around the world,
the plein air movement began as a call for artists to reconnect with nature and
develop an appreciation for the astounding beauty found therein. More than four
centuries later, many of the values and beliefs that birthed the plein air movement are
by Allison Malafronte
still alive among practitioners of the genre today.
The History of the
Plein Air Movement
T
enduring that four centuries
he term en plein air—
after its inception, plein air
a French phrase
painters around the world
meaning “in the open
are still capturing timeless
air” or simply “outdoors”—
interpretations of the fields,
has long been associated
hills, trees, and coastlines
with the act of painting
that define their native land.
directly from nature, alla
prima. This style of painting
is often traced back to its first
The Birth of
followers in 17th- and 18thPlein Air Painting
century Rome, followed by
in Europe
the French Impressionists in
Although the genre of landthe mid to late 19th century,
scape painting was perhaps
and then to the California
legitimized by French artists
Impressionists in early 20thClaude Lorraine (1600–1682)
ABOVE
OPPOSITE PAGE
century America. From the
and Nicolas Poussin
Les Glacis d’un
start, the purpose of the plein The White Horse
(1594–1665)—who, by exeChâteau-Fort-en-Ruine
by John Constable, 1819, oil,
air movement was to develop 51¾ x 73 ⁄ . Collection The Frick by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, 1871, oil,
cuting on-site sketches and
Collection, New York, New York.
15 x 9. Collection Santa Barbara Museum
a deeper understanding of
then finished paintings of the
of Art, Santa Barbara, California.
nature through close obserRoman Campagna in 17thvation and study, and to learn how to accurately represent the
century Baroque Rome, defied the belief that landscape was a
appearance of the landscape under the ever-changing elenonclassical genre—the plein air movement as we know it
ments of light, atmosphere, and weather.
began during the 18th century’s Age of Enlightenment and
As painting en plein air grew from its European roots to
the early 19th-century’s Romantic movement, when poets,
an international movement, the genre of landscape painting philosophers, and artists turned to nature to find peace, solbegan to be taken more seriously among those influential in ace, and the presence of God. One of the greatest landscape
the art world, and on-site sketches and studies were considartists to emerge during this time was the French artist Jeanered worthy of exhibition and sale, even if they were only
Baptiste-Camille Corot (1796–1875), who, in 1825, spent two
preparatory for larger studio work. Suddenly, painting outyears exploring the Roman countryside through oil studies,
doors was considered a sophisticated activity, as collectors
which in turn inspired countless landscape painters to begin
clamored for plein air paintings executed in exotic locales or recording truthful observations of nature.
faraway countries as a way to travel vicariously through the
One such artist influenced by the newly forming plein air
artist. The advent of portable plein air materials—such as
tradition was John Constable (1776–1837), an English
paint tubes in 1841 and the retractable French easel shortly
painter known for his sweeping outdoor scenes filled with
thereafter—further encouraged artists to join this exciting
architectural wonders and a sentimental pride for England’s
movement and fostered a tradition so far-reaching and
luxuriant countryside. Like Claude and Corot, Constable
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October 2009
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SPECIAL REPORT: Plein Air Painting
TOP
ABOVE
OPPOSITE PAGE
Landscape With a
Calm
Mount Etna From
Taormina
Incoming Tide
by Nicolas Poussin,
1651, oil, 38¼ x 521⁄8.
Collection J. Paul Getty
Museum, Los Angeles,
California.
by Thomas Cole, 1843,
oil, 78 x 120. Collection
Wadsworth Atheneum
Museum of Art,
Hartford, Connecticut.
22
American Artist
by Guy Rose, ca. 1917,
oil, 24 x 29. Private
collection. Image
courtesy Irvine Museum,
Irvine, California.
believed that landscape painting must be based on observable facts and not cliché formulas. The more time Constable
spent outdoors painting from life, the more intrigued he
became with the sky, light, and atmosphere of the landscape
and was said to have studied these elements with a meteorologist’s accuracy. The artist’s fidelity to nature and interest
in atmospheric effects inspired the movement known as the
Barbizon School, an informal group of mid-18th-century
French artists—including Jean-François Millet (1814–1875),
Théodore Rousseau (1812–1867), and Charles-François
Daubigny (1817–1878)—who settled in the village of
Barbizon on the edge of the forest of Fontainebleau to paint
scenes of rural life. Following in the footsteps of Corot and
Constable, this group’s focus on extracting emotional significance from the light and tone of the landscape became the
foundation of the forthcoming Impressionist movement.
In the late 1800s Claude Monet (1840–1926) and his
friend Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841–1919) pioneered the
French Impressionist movement, using loose, heavy brushstrokes and multiple flecks of color to recreate the light
effects found in an overall impression of a scene. Although
www.myAmericanArtist.com
SPECIAL REPORT: Plein Air Painting
they were considered radicals of the academic movement,
the Impressionists’ style was actually deeply rooted in realism, but it was also inspired by new optical theories about
the way the eye processes visual information. Monet,
Renoir, Édouard Manet (1832–1883), Camille Pissarro
(1830–1903), Edgar Degas (1834–1917), and others believed
that what one sees in nature is not form but rather light on
form, and that light can be conveyed through obvious
brushstrokes of unmixed, intense colors. Taking their
painting gear outdoors and advocating the idea of a new
way of seeing through direct observation, the
Impressionists created spontaneous, intensely colored,
light-filled paintings that soon became a standard for truthfully conveying the outdoor experience.
Coming to America: Impressionism in California
News of France’s revolutionary landscape-painting style and
approach traveled quickly to other countries, and many
Americans—including Californian Guy Rose (1867–1925)—
went abroad to study with Monet. Rose bought a cottage in
Giverny and resided there for 13 years to fully immerse himwww.myAmericanArtist.com
self in the Impressionist’s approach for interpreting the
landscape. When Rose returned to Pasadena, he joined several other California artists who were painting en plein air
the coastlines, mountains, and floral vegetation that defined
the state. Like Monet, Rose would often paint the same
scene at different times of the day, and he developed a particular penchant for the coastal beauty of the Laguna Beach,
Carmel, and Monterey areas.
With its clear, intense light and pleasant climate,
California became the ideal place to usher in the American
Impressionist plein air movement, and artists from all over
the country and world began flocking to the Golden State
during the early 1900s. Like the pioneers of the plein air
genre, California artists such as John Gamble (1863–1957),
Paul Grimm (1892–1974), Edgar Payne (1882–1947), and
William Wendt (1865–1946) saw light as the defining factor
in the landscape and extolled its virtues as a divine creative
instrument. Suddenly, all areas of the country known for
remarkable light became destinations for proponents of
plein air painting, and outdoor-painting artist colonies soon
sprang up around the nation.
October 2009
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SPECIAL REPORT: Plein Air Painting
LEFT
Saddleback
Mountain, Mission
Viejo
by William Wendt,
1923, oil, 30 x 40.
Private collection.
Image courtesy The
Irvine Museum, Irvine,
California.
BELOW LEFT
In the Mountains
by Albert Bierstadt,
1867, oil, 363⁄16 x 50¼.
Collection Wadsworth
Atheneum Museum of
Art, Hartford,
Connecticut.
Plein Air Painting Movements in America
Few of the American landscape-painting groups defined
the plein air genre better than the first notable school of
painters native to the United States, the Hudson River
School. This group of early-19th-century painters, founded
and led by Thomas Cole (1801–1848), documented the
nation’s changing identity as its uninhabited land slowly
became settled. Established in the early 1800s—around the
same time Corot was exploring the Roman countrysides—
these artists imbued their landscape paintings with the
same spiritual sentiments as their French contemporaries,
in an effort to show God’s ubiquitous presence in nature.
Painting in one of the most beautiful areas of the country,
the Hudson River School painters captured the enthralling
light dancing over the Catskills and Adirondacks in Upstate
New York and also espoused the importance of connecting
with nature and recording their observations on-site. Cole,
Asher B. Durand (1796–1886), Frederic Edwin Church
(1826–1900), Albert Bierstadt (1830–1902), and others then
took those on-site studies and created grand studio paintings filled with such amazing light and lofty atmosphere
that viewers were, and still are, instantly transported to a
peaceful paradise.
From that first American plein air-painting school in the
early 1800s to the California Impressionist movement in
the early 1900s and well into the later 20th century,
numerous other landscape-painting groups were established around the United States, including the Lyme Art
Colony, in Old Lyme, Connecticut; the Hoosier
Impressionists of Brown County, Indiana; and the Boston
Landscape School, in New England. By passing down the
ideals set forth by the original plein air painters, these
artists created an enduring legacy for future generations of
landscape painters. Today, many of those original art clubs
and colonies are still flourishing, and, in fact, a great number of contemporary landscape painters seem to be encouraging a return to the social, artistic, and spiritual values
upon which the plein air movement was founded.
■
Allison Malafronte is a senior editor of American Artist.
24
American Artist
www.myAmericanArtist.com
SPECIAL REPORT: Plein Air Painting
California landscape painter Camille Przewodek credits her teacher
Henry Hensche with opening her eyes to a new way of seeing and setting her career
Inter view by A llison Malafronte
on a path filled with color and light.
Camille Przewodek:
Seeing the Light
American Artist: Henry Hensche was your greatest mentor
and the artist you said changed the way you saw light and
color. What were the main tenets of his teaching?
Camille Przewodek: Hensche was a student of Charles
Hawthorne and took over the Cape School of Art, in
Provincetown, Massachusetts, when Hawthorne died.
Hensche had his students paint simple blocks of primary
colors outdoors under varying light conditions, which
allowed them to focus solely on the color of the light.
Another point he espoused was to let nature be your guide.
Hensche actually ended up developing the understanding
of color beyond even what Hawthorne or Monet did.
AA: Why do you think
focusing on how an artist
sees is so important, especially as a plein air painter?
CP: As Hawthorne said,
“The vision of the artist is
the vision to see and the
ability to tell the world
something that he or she
unconsciously thinks
about nature.” We live in a
time when the pigments
and tools for recreating
this vision are available to
us. The ability to paint the
effects of light accurately
takes a lifetime of study,
and there is no limit to the
development of this
vision. We as artists have
the ability to show the
beauty in the mundane.
AA: Why have you decided to make light the focus of
your work and the understanding of light the focus
of your career? What is it about light in the landscape
that draws you?
CP: When I met and studied with Hensche, my life as a
painter changed. How often do you take a workshop that
alters your whole perception? Where once there were gray
shadows, now those shadows were filled with color and
light. I knew I was in the presence of greatness when I was
with Hensche, and I wanted what he had to offer. It was so
honest, unlike any other instruction I had ever received.
I became a born-again painter.
Morning Volleyball
2009, oil, 11 x 14. All artwork
this article collection the artist.
www.myAmericanArtist.com
October 2009
25
SPECIAL REPORT: Plein Air Painting
LEFT
Sweet Springs
Nature Preserve
2008, oil, 12 x 16.
For more information on Camille
Przewodek, visit her website at
www.przewodek.com.
AA: Do you consider your approach to painting light similar to or different than that of the French Impressionists?
CP: The French Impressionists were at the forefront of a
new way of seeing. They were experimenting with the juxtaposition of color, and their color was broken color. I like
the American Impressionists better because they put more
emphasis on solid spots of color and form.
AA: Many plein air painters struggle with capturing quickly
moving light. What advice do you offer your students on
this subject?
CP: Paint fast and efficiently. Hawthorne felt that starts are
the most important. After you do enough of them in many
different lights, you develop a painting memory. Also, if the
light is in and out, have two canvases available so you can
change from one painting to the other as the light changes.
AA: You say that you desire to use color to build form and
not rely on formulas. What formulaic traps do you often
see landscape painters fall into?
CP: I have seen painters use the same formula for all their
trees. They put a color wash down and paint on this every
time. I try to respond to a subject each time as if it is the
first time I have painted it.
AA: You are a resident of California, but you paint en plein
air throughout the country and abroad. What locations do
you admire most for their quality of light?
CP: I love the difference of each geographical place. For
instance, I don’t paint in the desert a lot, so I try to spend
some time there to better understand how the sand particles
affect the color of the light. A location like that is very different than a place like Laguna Beach, for instance, which has
a very blue light because of all the moisture in the air. I like
to paint in California because you can be en plein air year26
American Artist
round with the wonderful weather, but I also do a lot of traveling to other areas. Provincetown, Massachusetts, is one of
my favorite travel destinations for plein air painting.
AA: What is your favorite time and type of day to paint?
CP: I paint all lights. When I was in Laguna Beach one year
doing the invitational plein air event, we had a lot of gray
days. Many artists had never painted a gray day. I was in
heaven because I love gray days and find a lot of color in
them. I don’t think you should limit yourself. I even work
in the middle of the day to try to paint the difference
between early-morning, midday, and late-afternoon light.
AA: Can you recall a plein air-painting experience in which
you encountered an extraordinary lighting situation? How
did you handle it?
CP: Painting the hills of La Quinta, California. Normally,
early-morning light is very pink, but those hills were
orange in the morning. If I had followed a theory, I wouldn’t have gotten the color right. People would look at my
mountain paintings and comment that they could tell those
were La Quinta hills.
AA: If you had to give one piece of advice to a novice plein
air painter looking to understand and accurately paint light
in the landscape, what would you say?
CP: Get good instruction. Show me a good painter, and I
guarantee he or she had good teachers. Don’t just accept a
teacher that tells you to just express yourself. Also, under
every good painting is a good abstract painting. When I
start, the first note of color is the key to the whole painting.
I cover the canvas quickly, and then I can determine
whether or not my colors are accurate.
■
Allison Malafronte is a senior editor of American Artist.
www.myAmericanArtist.com
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Advice on Plein Air
Equipment
The growing interest in plein air painting over the years
has resulted in an overwhelming array of supplies,
books, videos, workshops, and do-it-yourself
recommendations. As an experienced plein air painter
and conservator, Ross Merrill has a number of
recommendations to offer both the novice and the
by Ross Merrill
experienced landscape painter.
J
ohn Ruskin (1819–1900), the influential 19th-century art critic and
artist, believed that truth was to be found in nature. He advised artists
to turn to the landscape for their inspiration and thereby achieve fresher, more vibrant paintings. His point was neither lost on the French
Impressionists nor the American painters who embraced the landscape as
their motif. Interest in plein air painting spread rapidly, and in recent
years it has prompted the establishment of official groups in almost every
region of the United States.
You may logically ask, “Why is plein air painting becoming so popular?” One of the many reasons is that this type of painting reconnects a
person with the history of landscape painting, with the spirit and energy
of nature, and with the opportunity to become completely engaged in the
act of responding to a vital, yet diminishing, natural landscape.
This growing interest has resulted in an overwhelming array of supplies, books, videos, workshops, and do-it-yourself recommendations. As
an experienced plein air painter and conservator, I have a number of recommendations to offer both the novice and the experienced landscape
painter working in either oil or acrylic paints. Below I list a few readily
available products designed specifically for outdoor painting.
The Tools of Success
Here is a basic list of some standard plein air equipment:
■ collapsible easel
■ solvent and painting medium
■ lightweight paint box and tripod ■ wet-pannel carrier
■ folding stool
■ paper towel or rags
■ small clamp-on umbrella
■ small plastic trash bags
■ paints, brushes, palette knife
■ bungee cords
The Pochade Box
Feed Your
Passion
JlYjZi`Y\kf[XpXe[^\k
X=I<<KI@8C@JJL<
nnn%dpXd\i`ZXeXik`jk%Zfd&jlYjZi`Y\
The French easel is the most common piece of equipment for plein air painting. It evolved during the 19th century and is currently built in full- and halfbox sizes. An easel with folding legs and a telescopic canvas support has
space for storing paints and brushes, adjusts for working in either a standing
or seated position, is relatively inexpensive, and accommodates panels and
canvases of various sizes. The disadvantages are the extra weight and cumber28
American Artist
www.myAmericanArtist.com
some size, the slow and awkward set
up, and the weak hinges and stops
that inevitably break.
A small, portable pochade box is a
viable alternative, especially for traveling artists who must store their
equipment in overhead compartments, in checked luggage, or inside
backpacks. There are numerous
commercial pochade boxes on the
market with prices ranging from
The inside of a portable painting box, which is
attached to a standing tripod for outdoor painting.
about $150 for a basic wooden box,
to more than $300 for a beautifully
finished walnut box. Virtually all of
the 19th-century American landscape
painters rested paint boxes on their
laps while working, but today most
artists prefer to either stand or sit,
and therefore they need either a folding chair and/or a tripod to mount a
palette and panel support upon.
The Tripod
If you buy or make a pochade box
with a tripod mount, you’ll need a
sturdy tripod, which will cost as little
as $60. There are cheaper versions
available, but the plastic heads break
easily, so I recommend buying a
good-quality metal tripod with a
metal head. A quick-release shoe is
important because you will mount
the shoe on your pochade box and
use the quick-release feature to easily mount and remove the box.
www.myAmericanArtist.com
October 2009
29
Even outdoors, GOLDEN® OPEN Acrylics remain wet and workable for hours. So take
your time painting, blending colors or subtracting paint; OPEN Acrylics allows you to do all
that. Because OPEN is a water borne paint, you can paint outdoors or indoors and cleanup is easy and odor free. Your palette can remain wet for weeks (even months) which
means less paint is wasted, and mixed colors can be re-used and easily matched. Once
dry, OPEN Acrylics have the color intensity and durability of acrylic paint with the archival
quality you expect from GOLDEN. Learn more about OPEN Acrylics at your local art
supply store or at: goldenpaints.com/OPEN.
SPECIAL REPORT: Plein Air Painting
beryard, and a minimum of two coats of high
quality gesso must be applied to both the front
and back of the panel. Keep in mind that
wood-based panels respond to changes in
moisture by shrinking or swelling, resulting in
some panel warping. To minimize warping, a
whiteboard may be used in place of the hardboard or plywood panel. A whiteboard is hardboard with a tough, white coating on one side.
Usually used for magic-marker writing, hardPainting Supports
Wet-panel carriers, such as this
board can be found in better lumberyards.
The painting support of choice for most plein
handmade one, allow you to
transport wet canvases from onMounting the canvas to the unpainted side
air painters is a panel with a primed-canvas
site back to the studio safely
saves the step of sealing the hardboard.
face. Many companies make plein air-painting and easily.
The most stable painting panel is an alupanels, but not all of them are created equal.
Some have an acrylic ground (called a “multimedia” ground) minum panel, such as Dibond (made by Alcan), that consists of a polyethylene and aluminum-skin core. Dibond
on poor-quality cotton canvas mounted on paperboard or
does not respond to moisture or temperature changes, is
poor-quality pressed wood. There are also panels made of
exceptionally rigid, and is lighter than plywood.
■
high-quality oil-primed linen mounted on quality hardboard or birch plywood.
Wet-Panel Carrier
Although it is possible to close your French
easel or pochade box with one or two wet
paintings stored safely, it’s better to place the
panels or canvases in a carrier specifically
designed to protect a wet surface. The same
companies that make pochade boxes also
make wooden or cardboard carrying cases.
Homemade Panels
The least expensive painting panel is a pressed-wood panel
coated front and back with acrylic gesso. Good quality hardboard or veneer plywood must be selected from the lum-
ACCOMMODATES THE
OIL, ACRYLIC,
AND THE
WATERCOLOR
ARTIST.
Ross Merrill is the former chief curator of conservation at the
National Gallery of Art, in Washington, DC, a professional artist,
and a member of several artists’ organizations, including the MidAtlantic Plein Air Painters Association. For more information on
the artist, visit his website at www.rossmerrill.com.
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SPECIAL REPORT: Plein Air Painting
Joseph McGurl:
Nautical Masterpieces
Joseph McGurl grew up under his talented father’s artistic
tutelage while cultivating a passion for boating and a love
of the sea. This early influence, coupled with years of
hard work and practice, have made him one of today’s
foremost landscape painters, and in this interview he shares
his knowledge, experience, and insight on the art of
Inter view by A llison Malafronte
painting nature.
AA: Artists often admire your artwork for your ability to capture light and create luminosity and atmosphere. Could you summarize how you do this, both
from a technical standpoint, as well as from a mental standpoint?
JM: I should preface my responses by saying that I know many artists will
disagree with some of the things I say. This is good and as it should be. If
everyone agreed with my views, everyone would be painting like me, and
that would be very boring. The technical aspects of painting light and
atmosphere are fairly straightforward. It really comes down to mixing the
right color and value for a particular location in the illusionary space in
the painting. Sometimes I will modify a passage with a glaze or a scumble. I also use texture, or the lack thereof, to help define space and light.
One of the things I learned from the masters is that thick paint helps
bring objects forward and makes light objects appear brighter, so I will frequently use this “trick.” Thin, transparent paint gives depth to a painting.
The importance of the exactness of color and value becomes obvious to
me when I see a reproduction of one of my paintings. Sometimes a partic-
Glimmer
2008, oil, 30 x 40.
Collection Hammer
Galleries, New York,
New York.
www.myAmericanArtist.com
October 2009
31
A New DVD From
SPECIAL REPORT: Plein Air Painting
Mark Saenger
The Wonder of Oil Painting
This DVD is a ‘paint-along’ with Award-winning artist
Mark Saenger, depicting the breathtaking mountains
of Grand Teton National Park.
ular color or value will not reproduce correctly, and it
jumps out of its position in space.
Mentally, it is really important to envision the
scene in three dimensions. I have spent years studying the landscape and trying to understand what is
happening and why. For instance, an object’s color
changes as it recedes into the distance differently at
sunset than it does at midday. By understanding how
space and light affect color and value you can exaggerate or minimize colors in order to push the depth
even more. Remember, you are trying to paint a threedimensional space on a flat surface and the light of
the sun with just pigments, so you can’t just paint
what you see. You have to paint what you know, too,
in order to exploit all the possibilities.
Mark has an understandable, straight-forward, and easy-to-follow
teaching style. This two hour lesson is not only a practical guide,
but will leave you with a finished painting you can be proud of!
Included with this DVD:
18" x 24" Drawing Guide
Atmospheric Value Study Guide
Contact Mark for upcoming Workshop Information:
(908) 451-3352
www.thewonderofoilpainting.com
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AA: Please describe your connection to the sea, including
your “floating studio,” Atelier.
JM: I grew up on the water and
spent my summers swimming, boating, and exploring
the nearby islands and coves. There are probably psychological reasons why I have such a strong connection to the ocean, but there are also artistic ones. The
ocean and coastline have so many aspects of what
interests me intellectually and visually about our
world. There is endless space and wonderful light,
which are primary subjects in my art. It is not a static
environment. The sun, tide, wind patterns, and cloud
formations are changing by the minute. I am also
drawn to the challenge of trying to paint the ocean’s
depth, reflection, transparency, weight, and motion.
I have been painting from boats since I was a teenager. In my early 20s I worked as a yacht captain and have
used painting vessels since then. The Atelier is the latest.
It is a 44-foot-long ketch-rigged sailboat. It was built in
Chasm
2008, oil, 14½ x 14.
Courtesy Tree’s Place,
Orleans, Massachusetts.
Endorsed by Jacob Collins - Hudson River School for Landscape
Dedicated to supplying artists around the world with the
highest quality handcrafted plein air equipment since 1992.
www.openboxm.com
800-473-8098
32
American Artist
www.myAmericanArtist.com
1965 and has nice, classic lines. So
many modern boats are ugly and look
more like kitchen appliances than
boats. My family and I spend the
greater part of the summer sailing
around New England, and I paint very
frequently from on board, or I take the
dinghy to shore and paint from the
land looking out. Sailing gives me a
better understanding of my subject.
AA: What is your plein air process?
How important is it to you to create
on-site studies and sketches, as
opposed to using photographs as references for your studio work?
JM: I am trying to portray my response
to the real world—not a flat visual representation of it. I am trying to paint
the whole tree, even the side you can’t
see. I am also trying to paint a living
tree that will die in the winter and
bloom again in the spring. Science has
taught us that space and time are not
static and that on the subatomic level
there is a frenzy of activity. Knowing
this, I cannot paint from a photo that
is devoid of all these realities. I am also
trying to understand nature in the
most complete way possible, and
studying it intently while interpreting
it in paint is the most effective way I
know to accomplish this. The challenge of going into the field with just
my paints and coming away with a
useful picture is also appealing.
Sometimes I don’t have enough time
to capture a certain effect, but that’s
just the way it goes. It’s difficult relying
on just my own observations, and it
may seem easier to paint from photos,
but my goal isn’t to do it the easiest
way but the best way. Like everyone, I
sometimes have tendencies to be lazy,
and if I know I have a photo to back
me up, I may not look as hard or work
as long at the sketch as I should.
■
Allison Malafronte is a senior editor of
American Artist.
To read this interview in its entirety, and
other articles related to landscape
painting visit our En Plein Air blog at
http://forums.myamericanartist.com. For
more information on Joseph McGurl, visit
his website at www.josephmcgurl.com.
Sedona Arts Center
5th Annual Sedona Plein Air Festival
Oct 24 - Nov 1, 2009
Keynote “Plein Air to Studio”
William Scott Jennings
Featuring 32 nationally recognized plein air artists
painting in the beautiful Sedona landscape.
Showcase Gallery - Demonstrations - Workshops - Quick
Draw - Evening Gala and First Showing - Weekend Sale
www.SedonaPleinAirFestival.com
“Sunset Thunder” by William Scott Jennings
2009 Plein Air Workshops in Sedona
Jill Carver
Clark Mitchell
William Scott Jennings
Betty Carr
Tom Lynch
Oils
Pastels
Oils
Oil or Watercolor
Watercolor
Oct 19 - 23
Oct 20 - 23
Oct 26 - 30
Nov 2 - 6
Nov 6
2009 Fall Workshops in Sedona
Adele Earnshaw
Vince Fazio
Libby Caldwell
Kath Macaulay
Ken Rowe
Lesley Briers
Valarie James
Judi Betts
Tom Lynch
Jan Sitts
Gretchen Lopez
Lorri Acott-Fowler
Alok
Peggy Sands
Gretchen Lopez
Bobbie Goodrich
Peg Doig-Brent Cox
Carol Marine
Polly Cullen
Studio Workshop
Painting w/o Fear
The Reflective Journey
Pocket Sketching
Sculpting Animals
Sectional Vessels
Bas Relief & Molds
Excitement with w/c
Secrets of w/c
Visual Sensations
Understanding Color
Raku Figures
Zen Calligraphy
Drawing w/o Fear
The Portrait
Photo Shoots & Editing
Alternative Photography
A Painting a Day
Shimmer and Glow
Watercolor
Oils/Acrylics
Journaling
Watercolor
Oil-based Clay
Ceramics
Oil-based Clay
Watercolor
Watercolor
Mixed Media
Water-based Oil
Ceramics
Inks
Various Media
Oils/Pastel
Digital Photo
Digital Transfer
Oils
Pastels
Sept 12 - 14
Sept 14 - 18
Oct 1 - 2
Oct 3 - 5
Oct 5 - 9
Oct 10 - 11
Oct 15 - 19
Nov 2 - 6
Nov 3 - 5
Nov 9 - 12
Nov 11 - 14
Nov 13 - 15
Nov 14 - 15
Nov 16 - 20
Nov 16 - 20
Nov 16 - 20
Nov 16 - 20
Nov 30 - 12/4
Dec 7,8,10,11
2010 Field Expeditions
David Haskell & MC Johnson
David Haskell
Karin Jurick
Adele Earnshaw & Joe Garcia
Michael Schlicting
Luca Tripaldi
Betsy Dillard Stroud
Painting at Marble Canyon
Painting in the Grand Canyon
A Painting a Day/New York City
Watercolor & Oils in Tuscany
Acrylic Painting in Tuscany
Crystal Glazes in Tuscany
Journaling in Tuscany
April 19 - 23
May 13 - 21
May 24 - 28
Sept 4 - 11
Sept 11 - 18
Sept 11 - 18
Sept 22 - Oct 1
Sedona Arts Center, PO Box 569, Sedona, AZ 86339
888-954-4442 www.SedonaArtsCenter.com
www.myAmericanArtist.com
October 2009
33
SPECIAL REPORT: Plein Air Painting
THE PLEIN AIR SOLUTION
Pochade Boxes for Oils and Pastels
Plein Air
Organizations
Plein air-painting organizations continue to spring up around the country,
and this comprehensive guide shows which groups are in your particular
region of the country. Check out the organizations’ respective websites to
learn more about these groups of artists, where and why they paint, what
upcoming events they are offering, and how to become a member.
WEST
SOUTHWEST
Bay Area Plein Air Artists (CA)
■ California Plein Air Artists (CA)
■ Laguna Plein Air Painters
Association (CA)
■ Monterey Bay Plein Air Painters
Association (CA)
■ Nevada County Plein Air Painters
(CA)
■ The Oak Group (CA)
■ SCAPE—Southern California
Artists Painting for the
Environment (CA)
■ Sonoma Plein Air (CA)
■ Southern California Plein Air
Painters Association (CA)
■ Verde Artist Guild (CA)
■ Plein Air Artists Colorado (CO)
■ Rocky Mountain Plein Air
Painters (CO)
■ Plein Air Painters of Idaho (ID)
■ Plein-Air Painters of Oregon (OR)
■ Plein Air Washington (WA)
■
■
All-In-OneEasel.com
1-207-439-0223
SUSAN SARBACK
Capture Radiant Color
2010 Plein Air Landscape and
Color Intensive Workshops
California: Napa Valley, Fair Oaks
Florida: Bonita Springs
South Carolina: Charleston
North Carolina: Cary
AUTHOR OF THE BOOK
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(Instructional DVDs Available)
The School of Light & Color
916-966-7517
www.lightandcolor.com
Feed Your
Passion
MIDWEST
Great Lakes Plein Air Painters
Association (regional)
■ The Plein Air Painters of Chicago
(IL)
■ Indiana Plein Air Painters (IN)
■ Michigan Plein Air Painters (MI)
■ Missouri Plein Air Painters
Association (MO)
■ Ohio Plein Air Society (OH)
■ South Dakota Plein Aire Artists
(SD)
■
NORTHEAST
Connecticut Plein Air Painters
Society (CT)
■ Acadia Plein Air Group (ME)
■ Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters
Association (MD)
■ New Hampshire Plein Air (NH)
■ Plein Air Painters of the
Jersey Coast (NJ)
■ Plein Air Painters of the
New Jersey Highlands (NJ)
■ Genesee Valley Plein Air
Painters (NY)
■ Plein Air Painters of Western
Pennsylvania (PA)
■
SOUTHEAST
Plein Air Painters of the
Southeast (regional)
■ Plein Air Florida (FL)
■ Georgia Outdoor Painters (GA)
■ Plein Air Georgia (GA)
■ Western North Carolina Plein Air
Painters (NC)
■ Charleston Outdoor Painters
Association (SC)
■ The Chestnut Group (TN)
■
NATIONAL/
INTERNATIONAL
International Plein Air Painters
Plein-Air Painters of America
■ National Academy of Professional
Plein Air Painters
■
■
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X=I<<KI@8C@JJL<
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Tucson Plein Air Painters Society
(AZ)
■ Plein Air Austin (TX)
34
American Artist
www.myAmericanArtist.com
SPECIAL REPORT: Plein Air Painting
Sources For Plein Air Equipment and Supplies
PAINT BOXES AND
POCHADE BOXES
PAINTING PANELS
SourceTek Panels
Art Boards Archival Art Panels
Mabef Sketch Boxes
For more information, visit www.artboards.com.
For more information, visit
www.sourcetek-art.com.
Available from local art-material retailers
and online suppliers.
Multimedia Art Board
Open Box M
Fredrix Archival
Linen Canvas Board
For more information, visit
www.multimediaartboard.com.
For more information, visit
www.openboxm.com.
For more information, visit
www.fredrixartistcanvas.com.
OTHER OUTDOOR SUPPLIES
Guerrilla Painter Boxes
Ampersand Art Supply
For more information, visit
www.pochade.com.
For more information, visit
www.ampersandart.com.
Soltek Easel
Dibond
For more information, visit
www.soltekarts.com.
For more information, visit
www.alcancompositesusa.com.
Artwork Essentials
RayMar panels
For more information, visit
www.artworkessentials.com.
For more information, visit
www.raymarart.com.
Sun Eden
For more information, visit www.suneden.com.
ezPORT Wet Panel Carrier
For more information, visit
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Open Box M
For more information, visit
www.openboxm.com.
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[email protected]