SSCC art exhibit showcases ‘plein air’ style - Group exhibition opens Monday at Appalachian Gateway Center

IF YOU GO

What: “4 Ohio Plein Air Artists” exhibit

When: Weekdays Oct 6-Nov. 21, 2008

Where: Appalachian Gateway Center, SSCC’s South Campus, Fincastle

Meet the Artists: Open House from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25

In a sunlit scene that could be straight out of Monet’s garden at Giverny, a frocked and smocked artist sits at an easel in the diffused light beneath an umbrella. They dab their brush onto the canvas. The landscape they are portraying seems to shift with the sun and the wind.

This artist is creating a piece “en plein air.” Art aficionados may be familiar with the French phrase; for the rest of us, however, it simply means “in the open air.” Embraced by the Impressionists, plein air painting is an old style that is being revisited by new artists.

An exhibit of “4 Ohio Plein Air Artists” will open weekdays beginning Monday, Oct. 6, at the Appalachian Gateway Center on Southern State Community College’s South Campus in Fincastle. An open house to meet the artists will be held from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 25. Exhibit hours are 12 noon to 9 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays, and 12 noon to 4 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays. The exhibit features four Ohio artists – Mark Gingerich, Ray Hassard, Joanne Edwards and Chuck Marshall – mastering four very different styles of plein air painting. Fifty-eight paintings in oil and pastels will be on display and all of the works are available for sale.

Plein air artists trudge their easels and paints and brushes out into the field for a reason: “Outside we can capture the effects of light better than a camera can,” says Edwards, describing painting in the plein air style as opposed to working from a photograph in the studio.

“The challenges are great,” says Edwards. “You have to capture the light before the sun moves and the quality of light changes. We’re up against wind, rain, sometimes it’s hot, sometimes it’s snowing….”

If the challenges are great, the payoff is even greater. Plein air paintings seem to radiate an ethereal glow.

“I think plein air artists mainly like to work in a natural setting because they experience the real effect of light and atmosphere,” says James D. Werline, exhibit coordinator. “The artist has a better perception of reality and color. They capture the time of day and the feel of weather and light, and that transfers into the images they paint.”

Within the purist world of plein air painting, there is an even higher level – “alla prima.” The Italian phrase meaning “at once” describes a painting that is started and completed in one sitting. In most plein air competitions, alla prima is a must.

“An alla prima painting can take two to four hours or more on site. Sometimes if it’s too hot or cold or windy, I try to go back a second day,” says Edwards. “But it’s hard to get the same type of day two days in a row.”

If bad weather calls for an end to her outdoor session, Edwards uses sunlight spectrum light bulbs in her studio to finish the piece. She says many artists do a little bit of touch-up in the studio, “especially if you put a figure in the piece, because they’re always moving.”

The first in a series of five exhibitions scheduled this year, “4 Ohio Plein Air Artists” is one that “bodes to be one of our finest, and one sure to please the most discerning artistic eyes,” says Werline.

The exhibit will be on display through Nov. 21. Viewing schedules are subject to change due to special events held in the Appalachian Gateway Center. For more information about the exhibit or to learn about special viewing hours and guided tours, please call Amanda Lewis at 1-800-628-7722, ext. 3520, or James D. Werline, exhibit coordinator, ext. 3669. The Appalachian Gateway Center is located at Southern State Community College’s South Campus, 12681 U.S. Route 62, Fincastle.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Mark Gingerich studied at the Atelier du Nord School of Classical Realism. He is a gifted landscape and figurative painter and draws upon the Barbizon and impressionist aesthetics. His works are in numerous collections including the Ohio Governor’s Mansion. He exhibits his award-winning works in galleries in Cincinnati and Columbus. He currently lives, paints and teaches plein air from his home and art studio in West Jefferson and has an online gallery of his work at www.markgingerich.com.

Ray Hassard grew up in the New York City area and studied advertising, design and visual communication at Pratt Institute. He moved to Buffalo and won several commissions, including an installation of a large wall piece for the subway line. In 1985, he moved to Cincinnati and became co-owner, publisher and art director of American Record Guide. He began focusing on plein air painting in 2001 in oils and pastels. He currently exhibits works in galleries in Columbus and Rochester, New York. To preview his work, visit www.rayhassard.com.

Joanne Edwards was born in the Chicago area. Her formative art training began when she relocated to Cincinnati, studying at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, in 1984. Mary Cassatt inspired her early works. She won a first-year scholarship from the academy, graduating with a BFA in 1993 Magnum Cum Laude and Class Valedictorian.  She concentrated on impressionist painting from studies of Monet, Van Gogh and Matisse. Her paintings traveled for several years with the Cinergy collection with works on display at Senator DeWine’s offices in Cincinnati. She recently moved to Lake Waynoka near Sardinia.

Chuck Marshall currently teaches illustration and fine art classes in Lebanon. He attended one year at the Cincinnati Art Academy before moving to southern California where he studied at the California Art Institute. While living out west, Marshall studied with various artists who worked in the southwest style and California plein air style. His experience also includes illustration and graphic design work for features in magazines, books, on popcorn tins, prints and greeting cards. His works appear in International Artist and American Artist magazines. A gallery of his artwork can be viewed at www.chuckmarshallfineart.com.

All four artists have won numerous awards for their works and can be contacted through their personal Web sites or through the Ohio Plein Air Society at www.ohiopleinairsociety.com.