Missing Provence

Untitled
30 x 40, Oil on Canvas
(c) Lesley Powell 2020

This is the week that I planned to be heading off to Provence, to start a month long painting adventure. Alas, those plans have been scratched, due to COVID-19.  

Untitled
25 x 40, Oil on Canvas
(c) Lesley Powell 2020

My summers in Provence over the past eight years have always brought new challenges and sparked growth in my paintings. To keep that trend going, I have been delving deep into my "archives" of plein air paintings from France. I have accumulated many small paintings and studies done on location, which have become jumping-off points for new, larger paintings.

"Amidst the Lavender"
20 x 30, Oil on Canvas
(c) Lesley Powell 2020

These on-site paintings are like my "brains". I take that term from the late Charles Movelli, who wrote that painters who work on the spot often call these paintings their brains.  He notes that the painters rarely sell these paintings. Why hold onto them? Because they are the ground from which springs more fruit. As the great landscape painter John Constable said, "I don't mind parting with the corn, but not with the field in which it was raised!"

"Uphill Climb, Ménerbes"
30 x 20, Oil on Canvas
(c) Lesley Powell 2020

I'm illustrating this post with some of the larger scale paintings I've "raised" from my smaller, on-site paintings. You can see more robust images on my website here.  Thanks for looking!

Tool Time

I'm not sure who said it, but it's definitely true:  "You think with the tool that's in your hand." Lately I've been challenging myself to think in terms of bigger shapes, and to mix larger pools of paint on my palette. It helps me achieve these goals if I have a BIG implement in my hand to apply the paint to the canvas.

In the top photo, I'm using a very large taping knife that I bought at the hardware store. I think it's actually designed to smooth joints when hanging drywall, but who's counting?! I have several similar tools from the hardware store, in varying sizes. Carlos San Millán first introduced me to these tools for painting. He is a master with them. They can create a nice, sharp edge, if you load them with paint and just touch the edge to the canvas. Or they can produce a broad swath of paint, if you drag them across the canvas. 

At the opposite end of the spectrum, I have a series of small "drawing" brushes. Some of these have only a few hairs left! They are ideal for directional lines, or for going back into bigger passages of paint to make corrections or definitions. 

And then there are a few specialty brushes. Just above is one of those. I think it's meant for watercolors, but I use it to smooth out backgrounds or skies, when my brushstrokes have become too choppy and detract from the painting. A very light few swipes with this brush can smooth the choppiness, without destroying the shape of the strokes.

Maggie Siner's Toolbox

Of course, there are dozens of brushes that fall between these extremes, and in fact those in-betweens are the core players in my painting practices. But it's always good to vary your tools. Using different tools results in varied types of paint strokes, which make for a more exciting painting. As they say, if you're only using one or two brushes for your painting, you will put the viewers to sleep. Variety is the spice of life--it definitely increases the enjoyment of looking!

Quiet Opening

"Farmhouses in the Fields"
Oil on Canvas, 30 x 40
(c) Lesley Powell 2020

For many months now, I have been looking forward to being part of a four person show opening at Shain Gallery in Charlotte on June 12th. With equal parts excitement and trepidation, I imagined standing in the gallery on opening night, along with the other artists and friends, chatting about our paintings on the walls, and lifting glasses of bubbly. Alas, due to coronavirus restrictions, there will be no opening night reception. 

"Houses on the Hill"
Oil on Canvas, 30 x 30
(c) Lesley Powell 2020

There may be less fanfare, but the show will go on! The gallery is open normal business hours, so friends and art lovers can go see the show. If you are in Charlotte, please do visit the gallery and take a look. I'll miss the opportunity to interact with people about the paintings, but it's still a very good thing that people have an opportunity to SEE them. As Elaine de Kooning said, "You have to have a few people see what you are doing once in a while, or else you shrivel up." So true!

"Azaleas and Apples"
Oil on Canvas, 12 x 12
(c) Lesley Powell 2020

While large gatherings are still forbidden in our state, I'm   thankful that Shain Gallery is open for business, and that you can see the paintings in person, at your convenience. If you can't go in person, keep an eye on their website for a virtual look. 

"Hydrangea, Many Hues"
Oil on Linen, 20 x 16
(c) Lesley Powell 2020

I'm illustrating this post with a few of my paintings that will be hanging in the show. The other painters in the show are Amy Sullivan (Statesville, NC), Barbara Davis (Montgomery, AL), and Gina Brown (Glencoe AL).  I've put hyperlinks with their nemes, so you can learn more about them. All are immensely talented--I'm honored to be included in a show with them. I'll miss meeting some of them for the first time, and getting to know others better. But we'll all be "hanging" together at Shain, so do drop by...