Innholdsfortegnelse for August/September 2022 i PleinAir Magazine

Presenting this view of a city from its rooftops and chimneys, Frederik Rohde (Danish, 1816-1886) captured a specific moment in time, probably at the end of a summer's day, with the reflection of the sunlight shining through the trees seen on the chimney on the right. Thanks to a strong wind blowing the poplars to the left, we get a peek at the church tower in the distance — a view that would otherwise be obstructed from this vantage point. Because this type of church architecture was not common in Denmark, it's suspected drat the artist captured the scene on his travels abroad, most likely in Munich, where he picked up landscape painting practices amid an environment of romanticism, nationalism, and naturalism. The loose informality of the painting perfectly suits…

“One of my most cherished artistic possessions is Composition of Outdoor Painting by Edgar Payne. Often referred to as 'the bible,' it's an indispensable tool that can be found in the studio of most every serious landscape and plein air painter. At only 9 × 6 inches, it's rather unassuming, but don't let the small size fool you. This book is packed with motivational words, instruction, and invaluable insights and ideas on 'what to do' and 'what not to do,' whether you're in the studio or out in the field. In the later editions, there are a number of black-and-white thumbnail illustrations and a few color plates of Payne's finished paintings to illustrate the text and show the results he achieved.” — Lori McNee “Many artists are attracted to Edgar…

FARLEY LEWIS At some point, an artist's skill level can pose a threat of sorts to the potential of a painting. The easier it is for a painter to execute a scene, the more consciously he or she must push forward to make the best painting possible. Farley Lewis is a veteran painter and art teacher, and he takes steps early on to make sure he challenges himself. “I start paintings in different ways, mixing it up with a variety of techniques to tone the surface, in part because I know myself,” he says. “I could rely on formula to minimize risk and try to prevent failure. I don't want to do that. I would rather live with a little more risk to get a little more discovery. You don't…

I have my eyes open all the time. Af ter I've parked the c ar and I'm star ting to walk towards, say, a water fall, I might suddenly see a few trees. And the scene hits me. It 's not the water fall, it 's this! In oil painting, if you want to make a color lighter or darker, you add white or black. In pastel, you can affect the value of a color by varying the pressure with which you apply it, meaning you can get more out of each stick. In other words, light colors put on heavily get darker. So, although white is white, you can make it darker with greater pressure, and the same is true for other high-key colors. In the same way, black…

CHAIRMAN/PUBLISHER E-mail: bericrhoads@gmail.com Phone: 512.607.6423 Facebook: /ericrhoads Twitter: @ericrhoads Something amazing is happening. I'm not sure exactly how or why it's happening, but I'm seeing a huge number of brand new plein air painters on the scene. In fact, at my recent Publisher's Invitational in the Adirondacks (see page 92), I'd say about 60 percent of attendees were new to the event, and about 20 percent of those people were new to plein air painting entirely. Several people even told me they did their first outdoor painting at the event. This spring the Plein Air Convention & Expo also saw about 60 percent first-time attendees and numerous people who made their first plein air painting with us in Santa Fe. My best guess for the reason behind the growth in…

1.The total length of Idaho's rivers and waterways (over 107,000 miles) could stretch across the U.S. 38 times. 2. Although California painter/teacher Wayne Thiebaud was generally known as a Pop artist for his sumptuous depictions of mass-produced desserts, according to the Los AngelesTimes he was actually a “misunderstood Realist painter,” with his “loose, expressive brush strokes and pointed use of light.” 3. Chuck Close, born in Monroe, Washington, said he was inspired to do portraits because he had prosopagnosia (face blindness), a condition that meant he was unable to recognize faces. 4. Mount Haleakala, which comprises a large portion of Maui, Hawaii, is the largest dormant volcano in the world. It has erupted at least 10 times in the past 1,000 years, with the last eruption sometime between 1480 and…

MARGI LUCENA Pastel artist Margi Lucena loves her New Mexico home, surrounded by desert beauty that not all can see. Indeed, because of the intense sun and heat, much of the life in the desert remains hidden. Unless there's rain, living things tend to stay undercover, even if it's in broken shade. One must learn to appreciate the small and the subtle. Lucena sure does. Clear about her admiration for the overlooked and inconspicuous, the artist says, “I will pull over for a bush by the side of the road. Things hide from the sun, but there is still so much going on. There is life under those bushes, little things that are so beautiful. You know something lives there. People may look around the desert and say there is…

STEP 1 I start with a dark green hard pastel to establish some important lines, going right off the page (if I'm timid at this point, the proportions can get strange). The light is coming in from the left and above, so my lines are going to be lighter on the left side. I also indicate the close cast shadows under the branches; any detail that establishes form is a worthwhile detail to include. I use my experience as a figure painter to compare elements on either side of the painting, so once I establish the placement of a branch on one side of the trunk, I can determine where in relation to that a branch on the other side sits. As I do this, I go right through the…

REUNITED AND IT FELT SO GOOD After two years apart, hundreds of artists from around the country — and beyond — came together in Santa Fe to paint, learn, and reconnect with their tribe at the 9th Annual Plein Air Convention & Expo (PACE). In the lead-up to the welcome ceremony on opening night, the Buffalo Thunder resort was abuzz with the energy of old friends reuniting, new friends introducing themselves, and the thrill of everyone being together with a common purpose. As PleinAir publisher Eric Rhoads, dressed as his game show host alter ego, took the stage to open the event with another exciting edition of Plein Air Wars: Battle of the Mediums, the buzz gave way to wild applause and laughter. This PACE staple is a hilarious, competitive…

Editor-in-Chief kelly@pleinairmagazine.com outdoorpainter.com facebook.com/pleinairmagazine twitter.com/pleinairmag Instagram.com/pleinairmag A few months ago, my daughter Brenna and I were browsing the stalls at Summerfair, an annual arts fair in Cincinnati, Ohio. She had just graduated high school and was on the lookout for something special to commemorate the milestone. I paused to take in some lovely pastels by an artist whose work I'd admired at previous fairs, and Brenna fell in love with the idea of purchasing her first painting. As she and I talked about a few of her favorite pieces, the artist, Marianna McDonald, leaned in and asked if I was involved in the arts. As it turns out, Marianna had attended one or two of the Live events I cohosted with PleinAir Magazine publisher Eric Rhoads and recognized my voice…

EDGAR ALWIN PAYNE One of the most gifted early American impressionists, Edgar Alwin Payne (1883-1947) sought to capture the “unspeakably sublime” in his work. Characteristic of the impressionist movement, his paintings exhibited animated brushwork, a vibrant palette, and shimmering light, but his choice of powerful imagery set him apart from other artists of his generation. While his contemporaries favored a quieter, more idyllic representation of the natural landscape, Payne was devoted to subjects of rugged beauty. Largely self-taught, he found inspiration and instruction in nature itself, producing majestic works that radiate dynamism. Born the second of eight children in Washburn, Missouri, Payne left home at the age of 19, traveling throughout the South, Midwest, and Mexico, painting houses, signs, portraits, murals, and local theater stage sets to pay his way.…

STEP1 Most step-by-step demonstrations focus on the block-in and early development of a painting, but here, Margi Lucena explains the crucial phase of fine-tuning. “Fine-tuning makes all the difference,” she says. “I try to suggest detail rather than state it, so sometimes fine-tuning means getting rid of some detail.” Pictured here is her painting fairly far along, but at this point Lucena was not satisfied with the bottom right portion. “I liked the red underpainting that was showing through and really liked the progress of the piece, but I wanted to very subtly enhance the stones. In the process, I lost some of that red.” STEP 2 In this stage, Lucena took advantage of directional strokes with the pastel stick to fine-tune a passage she felt needed attention. “The white…

Be prepared for some wind in the spring! Have a tripod you can weigh down with a sandbag or a pack on a center column hook. And, as Brienne M. Brown helpfully noted, if you are new to red rocks and canyons, you can start by zooming way in or even trying studies of individual rocks so you can figure out the color relationships in light and shadow. There's a lot of reflected light; learning to see those color temperature shifts will pay dividends. — Kathleen Hudson Plan to stay for at least a week, and go with a few painting pals. The area is so unique and offers many challenges, which can better be faced with other artists and with time to explore, experiment, and process. — Brienne M.…

Summer is in full swing, and you've likely been out plein air painting to make the most of it when possible. Because I've had melanoma, a quickly moving form of skin cancer, I see a dermatologist on a regular basis, and protecting my skin from the sun is often on my mind. If you're painting en plein air, chances are you're spending hours at a time outside doing everything from unloading your gear to walking to your chosen spot, sketching, painting, and loading up. That can add up to a lot of time under the sun. “The thing I never realized is how deadly skin cancer can be,” says PleinAir Magazine publisher Eric Rhoads, who has had skin cancers removed. “I always used to think of it as just something…