posted by Mark on Feb 22
I attended the February meeting of the Cincinnati Art Club and enjoyed a presentation by guest lecturer Jennifer King. She gave a slide show on California Impressionism and plein air painters in particular. Starting with turn of the century artists depicting a West Coast genre, she then gave examples of present day artists doing the same. However, Ms. King posed an interesting question at the end of her talk by asking, “What is the difference between the artist of 80 years or so ago and the plein air artists of today?”
There were several good answers from the audience such as light, color, composition etc. I mulled over this comparison when I got home and remembered an anecdotal experience I had about 20 years ago. I was doing an outdoor art show in Gig Harbor, Washington one summer and an elderly gentleman was looking at my art and telling me how wonderful it was. You always meet different kind of characters at these events. He proceeded to tell me that he was the art critic for the Boston Globe, but now retired. He said he had contacts with Mill Pond Press and that I should send my work to them. He took my card and I didn’t think much of it afterwards.
About a week later I got a letter from him proving that indeed he was who he said he was and he gave me a name at Mill Pond, one of the biggest print publishers in the country. So I sent my best stuff with high hopes of being among my heroes Robert Bateman, Carl Brenders, John Seery-Lester etc. The response wasn’t what I expected, but it was very revealing to me as an artist. The reply was that I was as good as their stars, but what else could I do that was different. They wanted something from another angle. I wasn’t picked up by Mill Pond, but from that day forward, I had the revelation that whatever I paint had better knock the socks off the person looking at it.
I think that’s the challenge for most artists today, whether they paint plein air or in the studio. By the way, I’ve tried the outdoor thing and the sun moves too fast for my satisfaction to do things right. Plus there is wind blowing things around and flies that love to land on wet paint. Got tweezers? Someone in the audience asked Ms. King if most plein air artists touch up things back in the studio. I overheard a comment, “Probably about 15 hours worth.” I guess there’s a romantic mystique to saddling up one’s easel and trekking into new vistas. But, I will stick to the familiar ambiance of my studio sweet studio.
I will appreciate the art of the past and even contemporary masters. However, the times for good art are never over as long as the artist sets his or her sights on the incredible and beautiful imagery that God has bestowed upon His Creation. For some reason, the artist is unlike the average citizen and happens to be at the right place at the right time to capture something no one else can. This is the gift of creativity that just keeps giving.
