En Plein Air - “Seeing Nelson”
An Exhibition of New Work by Ross Whitlock
After thirty years of teaching art in the Wanganui Manawatu region, I retired to Nelson to paint full time. Many of my holidays had been spent in the Nelson region. In 1997 I even had a major exhibition of paintings in Palmerston North called “Kahurangi!” Yet when I moved to live here the visual experience of Nelson was overwhelming.
For the first year I continued to explore themes I had developed over the years. Then I began to circle in on the city. I returned to the Cobb Valley. Then I painted the Outer Sounds and Tasman Bay. I stood in the marshes of the Waimea Estuary, then on the sand at Tahunanui.
As I gained in confidence I started to see painting possibilities everywhere. The beautiful hanging baskets, the heritage buildings, the boats, the coffee carts and cafe bars. There is so much more to see and do, I feel that I have barely begun, but what joy there has been in this initial exploration.
It is time to share something of what I have found, what I have seen.
Fifty oil paintings, en plein air, seeing Nelson.
About the 'Plein Air' Painting technique
“We paint from life in order to learn how to see. If you can paint light, you can paint everything under the sun.”
Frank La Lumia, signature member of the Plein Air Painters of America
Plein Air Painting
Plein air is a French expression derived from the Impressionist’s practice of painting outdoors. It developed from their fascination with the effect of light playing upon surfaces. The practice was helped by the invention of the collapsible paint tube in the mid 19th century, and the development of equipment such as the box or "French" easel.
Painting from life is a pursuit unlike any other painting technique. It challenges artists to concentrate every sensory nerve on the information in front them. They absorb it all, from sight to sound, from temperature to atmosphere, and then channel those feelings from head to hand, re-creating their impression with paint on panel or canvas.
Englishman John Constable believed the artist should forget about formulas and trust his own vision in finding truth in nature. To find that truth, he made sketches outdoors, then elaborated on them in the studio.
Around the same time in France, in a small village outside Paris called Barbizon, a group of artists focused their attentions on peasant life and the natural world surrounding it. Like Constable, Francois Millet and Gustave Courbet challenged conventions of the day, choosing everyday subjects rather than the traditional cliches and presenting them in realistic settings, the information for which came from sketches made in the field.
(From Wikipedia.)
“Ploughing”
By Constable
Direct Painting
Plein air painting depends upon direct painting. The artist is constantly chasing light and has no time to waste. Every mark must count. The paint must be mixed accurately and applied directly. The method is also called “Premier Coup” or first cut. The paint stroke must have “panache” or courage. The painter must learn to apply the paint with a single touch and not fiddle with it. A great exponent of direct painting was Vincent Van Gogh. Others were Monet, Pissaro, and Cezanne
Although studio pieces may be developed from the outdoor sketches, the central principle of Plein Air is that the sketch must always and only be painted on location, in front of the subject. Many pieces may be completed in a single session. However, some of my pieces are the result of two or even three painting sessions, on subsequent days, because of light or weather changes. The rule still remains: All work on any sketch must be done on location, preferably at the same time of the day.
Nelson is wonderful for this. The weather is very stable and predictable, week after week. A plein air painter’s paradise.
Ross Whitlock