Begonias from my 30 in 30 ~ Potomac Artworks

9.29.2014

Begonias from my 30 in 30

The remaining unposted paintings from the 30 in 30 days challenge are more florals!

They are from a day of painting at McCrillis Gardens in Bethesda, Maryland. I was fascinated by the late season begonias, in particular, but also wanted to focus on geometry and large shapes. They are 2.5x3.5"and 8x10". They were nearly finished on site and all have watercolor underpaintings. The smaller is on mounted Uart and the larger two on Pastelbord.

Begonias Mini

Late Summer Begonias

McCrillis Gardens

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The Charm of en Plein Air

Much of my work is done en plein air, French for "in the open air." People often associate it with the Impressionists, but the move to paint outside preceded them by a number of decades. The trend to appreciate landscapes as a genre at all was new for the time.

Several characteristics contribute to the distinctive beauty of en plein air painting. They are generally smaller in size in order to be able to capture a scene in a single sitting. Because of the time limit and environmental factors such as the sun and shadows moving, they often lack extensive details and might appear slightly fuzzy or unfinished. Lastly, they tend to have a freshness and spontaneity which makes them impossible to compare to traditional and methodological studio work. That said, my own studio work tends toward the same feel as en plein air, which then identifies my overall style: softness with an edge.

My aim when painting en plein air is for alla prima paintings, which roughly translates for me as "what happens outside, stays outside." It adds another level of difficulty to the work.

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9.29.2014