Joining the 21st Century

(c) Lesley Powell

For those of you who are savvy users of social media--and even for those of you who are not--here's a news flash: I have recently launched a Facebook page for my artwork. You can check it out at www.facebook.com/LesleyPowellArt.

You can visit the page even if you are not a Facebook user--it is open to the public. Please take a look, and give me a thumbs up with a "like". Comments welcome!

Snowed In!

"La Charette", Claude Monet, 1867

Many of us in the southeast US are snowed in today...thanks to an unusual winter storm path. What better time to enjoy looking at some of the great Impressionist paintings of snow scenes? Thanks to Huff Harrington Fine Art for this wonderful post, which takes us on a winter wonderland tour of some favorite paintings.

"Snow at Loweciennes", Alfred Sisley, 1867

A Moment in Time

"The Cliff, Etreat: Sunset"
(c) Claude Monet, 1883

The Impressionist movement in painting was all about capturing a moment in time--nailing down the fleeting effects of sun and light at a particular place and time. In fact, recording something real and immediate was at the heart of Impressionism. It was the reason that so many Impressionists left the studio to paint directly in the landscape, and the reason they worked so quickly to capture conditions before they changed.

Now, in breaking news, a team of scientists have just announced that they have successfully pinpointed the exact moment depicted by the great Impressionist Claude Monet in the painting that you see above. The verdict: 4:53 pm, on February 5, 1883. 

(c) Sky & Telescope Magazine

The scientists' sleuthing involved travel to Normandy, and use of both high tech and low tech resources--a sextant (shown above), a laser rangefinder, letters written by Monet, records of tides, and weather information, to name a few. You can read the full story in Sky & Telescope Magazine (February 2014 edition).  Meanwhile, here's a photo from the magazine showing how the scientists used other Monet paintings of the same shore to find the spots that Monet must have stood to paint his series. What inspiring vistas!

(c) Sky & Telescope Magazine

PS: For those of you in NC, the top painting is in the collection of the NC Museum of Art in Raleigh...worth a detour to take a look.

Finished in the Field

"Barclay House"
5 x 7, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2013

Recently I wrote about my process for making some corrections to a plein air painting, after bringing it back to the studio. I promised some examples of paintings that I had finished completely in the field, and never touched up after returning to the studio.

"Pont Neuf"
Oil on Canvas
(c) Lesley Powell 2013

All of the paintings shown in this post are "pure" plein air--no retouching later. For me, and for most painters, it is a rare event when a painting comes together so completely in the field that it requires no further attention. It's a sort of "Eureka!" moment. 

"Eiffel Tower from my Window"
Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell 2013

These paintings can be some of the strongest ones. As the old saying goes, "The best paintings paint themselves". In my case, these painting are often the second effort of the outing. The first effort can be labored, and shows the struggle of addressing the problems of composition, color and so forth. But that first painting can also be the springboard for the second--after addressing all of those problems, the second painting can seem to come together miraculously. I'm all for those miracles!

Sorolla

"Maria dressed as Valencian Peasant Girl" (detail)
(c) Sorolla 1906

Meet the greatest Impressionist painter you have never heard of---Joaquin Sorolla y Bastida. Sorolla, for short.

"Bathtime, Valencia"
(c) Sorolla, 1909

Sorolla was born in Spain in 1863. His talent was evident early on, and by age 30 his paintings had been in international exhibitions in Madrid, Paris, Venice, Munich, Berlin and Chicago. He won a medal of honor at the Paris Universal Exposition of 1900, and was nominated as Knight of the Legion of Honor. Interestingly, though he achieved such great recognition during his lifetime, he is largely lost in obscurity today. I hope that exhiibts such as the current one described below will change that.

The Meadows Museum at Southern Methodist University in Dallas has mounted a large exhibition of Sorolla's paintings, on view until April. (After that it will travel to San Diego, then to Madrid, Spain). How I wish I could see these paintings! Not only does the show feature a number of Sorolla's masterpieces, it also includes his studies for some of the larger paintings. Now this is what a fellow painter really wants to see--the process behind the masterworks! I quote Rick Bettell, art critic for the Dallas News:

Another canvas, from 1908, Running Along the Beach, is shown alone in a small gallery surrounded by six preparatory drawings, which show how Sorolla rehearsed his gestures and poses before commencing to paint them with such confident élan. These drawings are as fine as any figure drawings of the late 19th century and add a new dimension to our understanding of the artist.

"Running Along the Beach"

(c) Sorolla 1908

Sorolla may be what we call "a painter's painter". If you thumb through any recent issue of Plein Air Magazine, you are likely to find several of today's featured painters who cite Sorolla among their key influences. Such talents as Kevin Macpherson, Richard Oversmith, West Fraser and Marc Hanson all name Sorolla as an influence.

"Garden Grotto, Alcazar de Seville"
(c) Sorolla, 1910

I love the fact that Sorolla painted all sorts of subjects with equal ease and élan. From landscapes to portraits, from peasants to aristocracy, it seems as if he could do anything. And like all greats, he made it look so effortless! But we know from his studies (see above) that much behind the scenes work was done to lay the ground for the bravura strokes that would make the finished painting.

"The Old Man of the Cigarette"
(c) Sorolla 

Perhaps one reason Sorolla has influenced so many of today's plein air painters is his insistence on painting outdoors, from life. I will leave you with a Sorolla quote: "As far as outdoor work is concerned, a studio is only a garage; a place in which to store paintings and repair them, never a place in which to paint them."

"A Street in Granada"
(c) Sorolla, 1910

Truth in Color

"Shadow Patterns"
12 x 8, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell

You may have noticed in my profile (to the right) that my mantra is to make my paintings convincing, while still leaving something to the imagination.

I have been working on the approach that uses "truth in color", for lack of a better phrase, to make my paintings convincing. I believe that if I can accurately capture the color relationships of the subject I am painting, then the painting will be convincing, even if parts of it are left very loose and undefined--even unfinished. 

"Roussillon from Afar"
7 x 14, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell

Recently I read a post by Robert Glenn in his wonderful blog "The Painter's Keys". He wrote that "if you manage to get the right color, your painting can look 'true'". Yet as he notes, "God may work in light, but we mortals work in pigment." That means that we can only approximate what occurs in the real world. But boy, what an exhilarating moment when we do nail those color relationships.

I am taking the liberty of quoting Robert Glenn below. I love his succinct description of the steps involved in the struggle of mixing accurate colors. This is a struggle not for the faint of heart!

Looking is opening your mind to your impressions.

Seeing is replacing what you know with what you see.

Mixing is the knowledgeable confluence of pigments.

Testing is comparing your preparations with the truth.

Adjusting is the will to fix your flagrant wrongs.

The Road Ahead

"Curves Ahead"
24 x 30, Oil on Canvas
(c) Lesley Powell 2014

Aren't we all intrigued by a road leading into the distance? It seems to beckon us forward, and it inspires us to wonder what lies ahead. 

Visually, the road is a wonderful way to draw the eye deep into the painting. Emotionally, it triggers a sort of excitement and suspense about where the road leads. I thought this image was a good way to start the New Year...looking forward with anticipation!

Maggie Siner Workshop Announcement

FOR INFORMATION ON THE 2016 WORKSHOP

PLEASE CLICK HERE.

What could be better than fantastic instruction from the talented Maggie Siner, delicious meals from the kitchen of our hosts at Les Bassacs, and the beautiful light of Provence? I am helping to coordinate the "Painting in Provence" workshop this summer, and would love to hear from any fellow painters who are interested. Every year is different, but for a glimpse of the workshop activities from 2013, you can see my series of posts starting here.  

Here are a couple of Maggie's paintings from the area we will be staying. Get inspired!

(c) Maggie Siner, 2013

(c) Maggie Siner, 2013

Color of the Year, 2014

"Radiant Orchid"
2014 Color of the Year

Happy New Year! For those of you who follow such things, you probably know by now that Pantone has named the "Color of the Year" for 2014--and it is---drum roll---"Radiant Orchid". 

Since 2000, the Pantone Color Institute has been designating a "Color of the Year" in order to "express in color what is taking place in the global zeitgeist." Hmmmm. Or perhaps the real purpose is to launch a new  "must have" color to promote commerce.

"Waiting for a Friend"
8 x 10, Oil on Linen
(c) Lesley Powell

I must confess that I am neither a trend setter nor a trend follower. Nonetheless, I do hope that the painting shown above, which is one of my personal favorites, will find a home this year, since it happens to feature the Color of the Year.  You can learn more about it here.