Out in the "Plein Air"

There are painters, such as myself.  Let's call me a recreational painter. One who loves to use spray paint but not necessarily while hanging from the side of city buildings in the middle of the night or chasing after trains in subways.  Still I see the artistry involved  in the splash of the colorful droplets emitting from the can, floating through the air and falling, just so, on an object to give it beauty and meaning.

And, there are painters/artists who paint out of necessity, such as houses, pieces of furniture and fences in order to preserve their beauty and longevity and who also paint to free their artistic and technical spirit on canvas as well as all over my granite kitchen counter top and wooden floor.  Oil paint is a bear to remove, once it has set. This kind of artist can make something out of almost anything None the less, their vision, talent and artful interpretation is a gift to those of us who may not possess the ability to convey ourselves through pencil-thin brushes, glue guns, iron and cement and even your normal, everyday can of plain white paint.

And, then, there are those artists who paint for the joy and pleasure of what they see before them.  All the world may be a stage, according to Shakespeare, as all the world may be a canvas for the artist who spends time seeing the beauty in the tiniest of flower buds, an oddly shaped leaf or the swirling action of the blue and white sky.  Thank you to Gwen, Holly and Diana, members of a Plein Air painting group and offshoot of the Blandy Sketch Club   and who, I'm sure, I have not given anywhere close to full credit when it comes to their talents and artistic vision.

These accomplished  women chose to spend their Monday morning here at Blooming Hill and use our gardens as a backdrop for their artwork, each settling on different views, out in the cool and sunny atmosphere, bursting with lavender to reinterpret on their own canvases.  A much more pleasant thing to do rather than running to the grocery store or doing the family laundry like some of us did, as a part of our typical weekday.  You can see more of their work, along with many of their fellow artist's work on their website, https://outdoorpaintersshenandoah.wordpress.com.  Come again, friends and bring the whole group.  You are most welcome anytime!