Dena Kirk

"What is plein air painting....really?"

2012-02-22T06:07:58-04:00

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"Water Shapes" Dena Peterson Kirk 8"x10" Oil on Linen Painted entirely on location, Big Thompson Canyon, between Estes Park and Loveland, CO

This painting was just accepted into the Plein Air Artists Colorado 16th National Juried Fine Art Exhibition and Sale (to be held at Wilder Nightingale Fine Art in Taos, NM, May 5-May 24, 2012).

Shameless self-promotion aside, I am proud to be a part of this show; it is definitely not easy to get accepted. Not only that, it isn't easy to create true "plein-air" paintings, especially those I would be proud to frame and hang in a gallery. I would say out of all the plein-air paintings I do, only about one out of five are, in my opinion, worthy of selling. That doesn't diminish the benefits of painting en plein air and is not a comment on my painting skills. Most of the time, the paintings created in this manner are for my eyes only or to be used as a reference for a later studio painting. I have a feeling this is true for many artists, whether beginning or accomplished.

Most people who have an interest in painting have heard the term "plein air", unless they have been living in a cave (hopefully one with awesome cave paintings, like Lascaux). Plein air painting is simply painting in the open air. Although it's become quite the catchphrase in the art world, it's been around since the time of the Impressionists and probably before. Anyone who takes their paper, canvas, brushes, and paints outside to paint what they see there is painting "plein-air".

Plein air painting is not for the faint of heart. It's hard work and requires a tremendous amount of concentration. The physical demands of packing and hiking with all the gear can be daunting. Setting up, dealing with the elements (wind, rain, snow, sun, bugs, mud, etc.), and packing up require some backbone. Oh yes, then there is the part about painting! Some would say, "the fun part". Well, it is satisfying, but "fun" isn't necessarily the right word. The hardest part about painting outdoors is in simplifying what one sees. There is alot of information outdoors; often, too much to paint before the light begins to change...no more than a couple of hours. The novice painter will try to paint everything she sees, which, in my opinion, does not make for a good painting. The real skill lies in learning how to simplify and edit. This often takes years of learning and practicing.

However, in my mind, the very act of reducing a scene to it's basic elements is what makes the plein-air painting such a beautiful thing. For me, a plein-air painting is meant to be a quick impression of the scene before the artist. The best ones are generally smaller, thus not over-worked and fresh. They are done quickly and instinctively, all while the artist applies the fundamentals of design that has taken years to master. So, just because it is painted quickly, does not mean it is any easier or less valuable. A doctor may be able to make a quick diagnosis; however, aren't you glad she has the years of training to help her to do it accurately? Painting is similar, though maybe not so life and death (okay...sometimes painting feels like life or death to me!).

What is less valuable, however, is when a painter sets outside to do a plein air painting and, for whatever reason, decides to bring it home and finish it in the studio. To me, it then ceases to be a plein air piece. Once in the studio, a painting that begins as a fresh impression, often ends up being overworked in an attempt to make perfect what wasn't meant to be in the first place. The popularity of various plein air shows and competitions has, for me, taken away from the true spirit of plein air in many cases. The pressure to have "finished" works to hang, sell, and be judged tempts too many artists to complete their work in the studio. The very beauty of "plein air" becomes lost. Additionally, the standards by which plein air paintings are judged by the public change...soon, collectors are expecting plein air works to be more "finished"; this often means larger, pricier, and more "detailed"...the very anthithesis of the beauty of a plein air sketch.

I urge all artists and collectors out there to beware of popularizing plein air painting events, shows, and competitions to the point that true plein air painting becomes extinct.

New images added to the gallery "Plein-Air "

2012-02-08T12:20:08-04:00

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New images added to the gallery "Portrait/Figure"

2012-02-08T12:13:18-04:00

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New images added to the gallery "Animals/Wildlife"

2012-02-06T09:26:04-04:00

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New images added to the gallery "Studio Landscape/Cityscape"

2012-02-06T09:19:06-04:00

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New images added to the gallery "Still Life/Floral"

2012-02-06T09:08:38-04:00

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"Thoughts about teaching and painting"

2012-02-06T08:44:05-04:00

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Tuesdays are my painting class days. I really look forward to class most days. And, even if I am not really feeling "up to it" on any particular day, by the time class comes to an end, I am always glad I taught. No matter how I feel, once I start talking about the process of painting, I get really jazzed about it! One point seems to lead to another interesting point, which leads me to think of a certain painting by one of the Master's, or a more contemporary artist and, before you know it, I am off searching through my stacks of art books for an example of a painting that will help to illustrate my idea to the student. It's so funny to me that most days, I can't remember where I parked my car, but I can almost instantly reach for the exact book where a certain painting image is located. And, I have hundreds of art books...not alphabetized, no Dewey Decimal System; but I am pretty sure I can grab the right one just by seeing the color on the jacket.

There is so very much to learn about painting...I am always learning. There is even more to learn about how to teach about painting. My students over the years have been great about helping me know how to help them best. No one thing works for everyone, as any school teacher will tell you. But, when something does "click", it's a pretty neat feeling. We all can remember that one teacher that finally got through to us. One thing I am learning is that students also need to be "ready" to hear about something. One of my early workshop experiences was a lesson about this for me, although I didn't realize it at the time. This was a guy whose work I loved and was (is) incredibly well-repsected in the art world. I was fortunate enough to get into a 3-day workshop. I was a decent painter at that point, but really, kind of just "getting it". (However, I probably thought I was better than I was!!). Well, the workshop went a bit over my head and I found the instructor to be somewhat "impatient" with me. I mean, I could get a decent rendering of the still life we were working from, nice colors, pretty strong values. Yet, I couldn't figure out why he wasn't just patting me on the back and saying, "great job"! I wanted my art diploma! I had succeeded, right?

No pat on the back...not even much encouragement. I left almost in tears. A few years later, however, I understood what he was trying to convey. I get that he was trying to push me to take the painting farther...that a painting is more than a "rendering" of a teapot or flowers. It's about shapes, values, edges, pushing, pulling, what to leave out, what to keep in, leading the eye, making every space interesting.

I try to remember that now, every time I teach. Yes, my job is to encourage, to praise, to be passionate and share my enthusiasm for painting. But, I do my students an injustice if I just keep them at their own status quo. It's a balance...how far and hard do I push them and when is it too much? What is our purpose in taking a class? For some, it is to be challenged, to move beyond the ordinary. For others, it is for validation. I hope to do both tomorrow morning!

New images added to the gallery "Galleries"

2011-11-30T05:27:39-04:00

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Logos for galleries

New images added to the gallery "Plein-Air "

2011-09-26T02:09:31-04:00

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