PleinAir Magazine August/September 2020
Get your PleinAir Magazine digital subscription today and join tens of thousands of artists and collectors who have joined a new plein air movement. Rooted in a deep history, each bi-monthly issue, edited by Kelly Kane, chronicles important events and spotlights today’s master artists, their techniques, the collectors who follow them, as well as the historic artists who came before them.
in this issue
plein air heritage
The son of a sailor, Eugène Louis Boudin (French, 1824–1898) grew up near the sea in Normandy. While he enjoyed only a brief stint as a cabin boy at age 11, ships and harbors remained a muse for much of his painting career. Largely self-taught, the artist found the best way to capture the subtleties of such scenes was to paint outdoors. He was so enthusiastic about the practice, in fact, that he often documented the weather and time on the back of his canvases. Here, he concentrated on the working docks of Bordeaux. The low horizon line relegates much of the canvas to sky, with the soaring vertical and diagonal forms of the masts providing a complement to the horizontal thrust. To create a fresh, airy quality, the artist covered…
the unity of separation
Most likely, none of us ever expected to live through a global pandemic. The good news is that, as artists, we are used to being confined and alone. And as plein air painters, we do much of our work outside in the fresh air anyway, so many of us have been able to continue painting. As you can tell, I like to be the guy who looks for the silver lining in dark clouds, and I’m grateful that artists around the globe have discovered plein air painting for the first time because of our daily broadcasts on social media. We’re interacting with more international artists than ever before. In fact, we had well over 30 countries represented at our recent PleinAir Live virtual convention. And though it was no replacement for…
the more we know
At last year’s Plein Air Convention & Expo, Richard McKinley gave a presentation, “Why Pastels Are Perfect for Plein Air.” I was only able to sit in for a few minutes to hear him talk, but the theme resonated with me and sparked the idea for a series of articles for the magazine. For many, media such as pastel, watercolor, or acrylic might not come first to mind when they think about plein air painting. But are there qualities of these media that actually make them particularly well-suited to painting outdoors? Have there not been artists using these media to create master works, both in the studio and en plein air, for centuries? In the previous issue, we looked at how six accomplished artists use watercolor in the field. In this issue,…
pastel showcase
JILL STEFANI WAGNER PSA/MP IAPS-MC Saline, Michigan From Lands End, 12 x 9 in., pastel Available from the artist • 734.604.2864 • http://jillwagnerart.comRepresented by Tvedten Fine Art, Harbor Springs, MI; J. Petter Galleries, Douglas, MI; Castle Gallery, Fort Wayne, IN. NANCIE KING MERTZ Chicago Harbor at Palermo, 18 x 24 in., pastel on mounted UART Private Collection • http://nanciekingmertz.comRepresented by ArtDeTriumph & Artful Framer Studios, Chicago, IL. CINDY HOUSE Warner, New Hampshire Winter Visitor, 19 x 23 in., pastel Available cjhouse@tds.net www.cindyhouse.com Represented by Haley & Steele Gallery, Boston, MA; Mariner Gallery, Newport, RI; Edgartown Art Gallery, Edgartown,MA. AMANDA HOUSTON Cornelius, Oregon Sunrise of Hope, 16 x 20 in., pastel • 503.310.8099 • http://amandahouston.comRepresented by Cole Gallery, Edmonds, WA; Giacobbe Fritz Gallery, Santa Fe, NM; Clearwater Gallery, Sisters, OR. DEEPALI KAPATKAR Los Altos, California Sunset in Provence, 8 x 12 in., soft pastel Available through the artist • www.deepalikapatkar.comRepresented by…
boats, harbors, and waterfronts
the power of now
Painting outdoors with pastel offers a promise of immediacy and direct response no other medium can match. Freed from the task of mixing paints and juggling brushes, the artist can go right to work combining line and color to create both strong drawings and richly built surfaces. Moreover, pastel is a medium that is highly responsive to touch, readily conveying the hand of the artist to communicate everything from the most delicate caress to the most powerful stroke. Veteran artist Albert Handell makes full use of these capabilities to create works that feel gloriously spontaneous while exhibiting fine control of value and color. In his hands, pastel conjures up all the pleasures of being in nature — the raw energy of rushing mountain streams, the sumptuous textures of rocks and…
