Art on the Halfshell
May 9
9 am ~ 5 pm
Urbanna, Virginia

I am pleased to have a painting in the Juried Show at E. W. Poore in Manchester, New Hampshire. The show runs from March 17 - April 18. A reception is March 26 5-7 pm. Click on images to view enlargements.
E. W. Poore

My painting titled Magic Mountain was inspired by a painting trip in the North Woods along the Magalloway River. I painted in pastel on that trip several years ago and made this oil in the studio this month. Painting it felt as if I were still there!

You know you are in an extraordinary place when a fellow artist jumps in to help sell your painting . . .

This was my first Paint Out and I didn’t know what to expect. (A Paint Out is a gathering of artists all painting en plein air together. Plein air is from the French, literally translated in plain air.)

When oil paint was first put into tubes, artists were no longer confined to their studios grinding pigments into paint. They took to the ‘open air’ and painted on location. Their paintings were infused with natural sunlight, color and it’s temporal qualities. It shocked the public to see this on canvas and they were banned from the Academy Expositions. Undaunted, they created their own shows which were dubbed by the press: Impressionists!

There is something infectious and stimulating about painting en plein air. The landscape, the fresh air and the raw creativity of it get the juices going like nothing else. I had painted en  plein air by myself for years. But I had never experienced painting with other artists. Well, I didn’t know what a treat I was in for! I had no idea my own creativity would be magnified by a factor of 30 other artists! I simply went and  did my best to finish three paintings on site, though I had never done it before. I had gone out one day earlier in the week at home to practice finishing on site. On the  day of the Paint Out, I was focused on completing my three for Chadds Ford (Historical Society) AND an extra small to give my brother for his birthday that night.

It took most of the morning to complete my first canvas in the shadows behind the Brandywine Museum. I was glad I had thrown in the rubber pad to stand on. It saved me from being distracted by frozen stumps at the end of my legs!

I took a break to warm up then found another location ~ the Rossbeigh horse farm on the top of the hill overlooking an idyllic pasture. With a barn nestled into the ridgeline, a horse grazing in the pasture dotted with snow geese, patches of melting snow and a single tree; it was a stunning sight!  I took my time and enjoyed every brush stroke.

Fortunately, the deepening colors of the afternoon sun hastened my pace. With the day getting short, I was well past my jitters,  hesitations and doubts. I cut loose and sliced in the colors quickly making my dash for the possibility of actually having a birthday gift for my brother who has everything! My third Historical Society painting complete, I checked my time and got out a 6″ x 8″ canvas for the gift and asked The Muse for one more . . .

I put it on my easel in the same position as the previous one. Lower in the sky now, the sun and shadow gave explicit direction. I followed and to my delight, headed back to the barn with all four canvases in tow.

I hung my canvas and became absorbed in everyones’ paintings. The variety of interpretation of a single day’s experience was breath taking. I felt amazed at the beauty and lucky to be part of it. As the reception drew to an end, I looked for my third painting to show my brother before we headed out for his birthday dinner.

Finding it hung on the wall in the small gallery, we went in and had a look. Jackie then came in to rearrange things and handed me my painting to hold while she moved it to a different position. Standing with my brother and his wife, my artist name badge hidden from view under my blazer; another artist thought I wanted to purchase the painting and came forward to assist me!

I felt so appreciated and cared for ~ to be among such an extraordinary people! I won’t reveal which artist among us was the one. The artist has already been thanked by me personally. Let’s just leave it that it was all of us … Any one of us would have done the same thing!

Thank you for such an inspiring Paint Out and such a warm and generous welcome to MAPAPA (Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association!)

My apologies for the quality of these photos. I took them with my cell phone, as I had forgotten my camera!

You can see these works in person at the Chadds Ford Historical Society Gallery in Chadds Ford, PA through March 20. A portion of all works sold goes to support the Chadds Ford Historical Society.