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Painting from life outdoors is a pursuit unlike any other. Once I leave the controlled environment of the studio, the outdoors is a world of vivid elements and unexplored possibilities. Within this living environment of the natural world I paint the effects of natural light in oil. The outcome is a realization of a particular time and place through my own experience and emphasis.
The majority of my paintings are alla prima (‘one sitting’) providing freshness and immediacy. What I observe instantly transfers to paint without any reworking after the light has shifted. I enjoy a painterly translation that suggests rather than defines a subject. It is not necessary to paint each blade of grass, leaf or branch. A suggestion naturally triggers the viewer’s imagination and memory to fill in the blanks without overstating what it is they are looking at. I prefer to convey light, atmosphere and mood rather than a defined literal copy.
Painting en plein air (‘in the open air’) allows me to leave the interior space for a living world, my destination. The outdoor world is my studio, a place for long visual meditations that coincide with brushstrokes. For me, painting not only reflects nature but responds to it. I cannot simply paint nature, for I find myself interacting with it, affected and changed by it. As a painter I am also an observer, constantly learning and relearning how to see. This process slows me down and allows me to be in the moment. Here I observe the visual moment as well as my own presence and connection. These are natural reflections and realizations while out on location.
“Art is inspiration solidified. It is communication with the infinite and a gateway in sharing and communicating inspiration with others. Art is an intimate tracing of experience; tracks and patterns generated through a lifetime” –Jane Roberts
Click here to see photos of Colleen painting on location. |
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