(970) 927-9668
Painter Peter Campbell partook in the 2015 Red Brick Plein Air Festival in Aspen. His 8″ x 10″ painting of stacked hay bales won Best of Show!
“I really enjoyed doing the Plein Air event mainly because it gave me the opportunity to familiarize myself with landscape around Aspen and Basalt. It truly is a stunning area. With so many ideal places to paint it was hard to hone in on any one spot because something better always seemed inevitable as I drove around. Being immersed solely in picture making for the event was beneficial because once you sort of open the door of visualization it allows you to really see everything as paintings. Once one painting was done it was really easy to see another one. In fact I was painting on Watson divide in the morning and was heading back for lunch when I saw some hay bales near Hwy 82. I could see the finished painting in my mind and felt I had to stop and paint it right then. That one turned out to be the Best of Show. So I really think the act of making so many paintings so quickly kept me in a creative space that allowed paintings to reveal themselves. Maybe it is the crossroads of the right place with the right light at the right time and knowing I had no other obligations but to make a good painting. Also being lucky doesn’t hurt either. Having the camaraderie of the other artists was refreshing because the dilemmas of any one painter seem to be universal. They were all very supportive, kind and helpful to me and each other and that goes a long way to making things fun.It was a pleasure meeting everyone involved.” – Peter Campbell
En plein air is a French expression meaning “in the open air,” and refers to the act of painting outdoors with the artist’s subject in full view. Plein air artists capture the spirit and essence of a landscape or subject by incorporating natural light, color and movement into their works.
Artists have long painted outdoors, but in the mid-1800s painting landscapes and other scenes on location finally became practical due to two important inventions: paints in tubes and the box easel. This long-celebrated art form is the platform for countless festivals around the country – and the world – and we are honored to continue the tradition in Aspen, as this will be the 6th year of plein air festivals in Aspen.
The event featured 22 Colorado and Roaring Fork artists and took place August 9-15.
[columns] [span6]
[/span6][span6]
[/span6][/columns]
