"Painting Our Parks" will be an interactive exploration of painting in public parks. I want to bring the act of painting to the public, to demystify the process and make it a community event. Making art more accessible to the general public is extremely important to me, and I believe public art enriches our community. Throughout the year I will pick public parks in the Steuben County for a series of plein air painting sessions with public interaction. I will call these sessions "Paint Outs". The public will be invited to watch, ask questions, and participate in the plein air painting process.
To be notified of "Paint Out" events and receive time and location details please email me at bbbvanotterloo@gmail.com.
I will announce locations and dates for these "Paint Outs" for the public to participate on my social media channels and email mailing list. While painting on location, I will invite the public to participate in the following ways: to ask questions, watch for as long as they like, and paint on provided materials. I will set up an additional easel next to mine, and use park picnic tables. Watercolor paper, paint, brushes, and other supplies will be provided for them to create with. I will give feedback to participants, but it will not be a formal workshop session, more of an open air studio session.
For the past few years I have been exploring “plein air” painting. “En plein air” is a French phrase meaning “in the open air.” I love being outside as much as possible, and during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, this was the only way to work with fellow artists. Before this new direction of landscape painting most of my work focused on representational floral and still life paintings created in my studio. Venturing outside of my studio has expanded my painting world, and I am challenged in new ways beyond the classical still life. When painting outside, I am limited to a few hours of painting time by the weather conditions and my energy level. This has forced me to focus on the most important elements of a painting – the sense of place, direction of light, color temperatures, and what I want to communicate in a painting. I look forward to sharing this love of plein air painting with the public.
The final piece of my project will be an exhibit that rotates through Steuben County libraries. These venues will be free and accessible to the public.
Please leave me comment or email me if your are interested in participating in this project.
See you in our parks!
-Bridget
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