Nine landscape painters from all over the country arrive in Wilmington to paint for five days. They're referred to these days as "plein air" painters, meaning that they paint outside as opposed to snapping a photo and going back to the cozy studio to paint. Not that there's anything wrong with that. However, for the experienced artist painting out in the sunshine and wind tends to make for paintings that capture the living, breathing air of the day. The time limit enforced by the moving sun and sometimes the weather requires making quick and confident decisions. (The blasted shadows move as the day progresses and a sudden thunderstorm can seriously rearrange tree branches, not to mention the painter's stuff) The composition must be decided before brush touches paint. There's no time for drawing mistakes.
There is a long history of this "plein air" work, but in recent years the growing appreciation for these gems that come wet off the easel, has offered painters the opportunity to challenge themselves with landscapes from hither to yon. (Wilmington qualifies as a yon for most of these painters.) The time it takes to create a great plein air piece is not the time spent painting this painting, but the years of training: training the eye to see well, the hand to interpret what is seen, and above all to become intimate with an elusive notion that only few ever grab hold of, but nearly everyone (yes, you too!) instinctively responds to: Composition. Because the arrangement of shapes and values and colors in a painting are so important to the response you and I have to that painting, composing a painting can require adjusting building placement or the curve of a road. Although the sense of place is not lost (i.e. no conveniently placed mountains), photographic specifics are not what painting is about. Simplicity of shape and the selective, decisive brushstrokes required by plein air painting may appear 'unfinished'. But that very element - being able to see how a painting was put together - makes it even more magical: that such simple and few brushstrokes have made a record of one glorious moment in time.
Larry Moore presents "How do you know it's good?" Monday, May 5 at 7 PM at the Walls Gallery
The exhibition of new paintings opens Saturday May 10 at 9 AM. Hours Saturday are 9-5 with special Sunday (Mother's Day) hours 2-5 at Walls Gallery
'A good painting captures the essence of a place and stirs our feelings for the site. The merger of art and historic preservation may just be the ticket to help Historic Wilmington protect and preserve our architectural heritage. The Historic Wilmington Foundation is very pleased to collaborate with Walls Fine Art Gallery to celebrate this year's Paint Wilmington initiative May 5th through 10th. This Place Matters, the theme of National Preservation Month celebrated in May is an appropriate and timely convergence of art and historic preservation.' -George Edwards, Director, Historic Wilmington Foundation
Every painting of a street, a house, a landscape is a record of history. The link between Paint Wilmington! and the Historic Wilmington Foundation is simple: both Walls Gallery and the HWF believe that the character of Wilmington is worth preserving and spotlighting whether along Masonboro Sound or Tenth Street. So, with existing neighborhoods and business districts as well those of the future in mind, 10% of every painting purchased during Paint Wilmington! 2008 will go to HWF so they can continue to work to preserve Wilmington's historic architecture and neighborhoods and help re-instill community in places like Wooster Street, Carolina Place, and Carolina Heights.
Paint Wilmington!
