Saturday, October 30, 2010

PAP-SE Weekend







Had a weekend of painting and socializing with some of the Plein Air Painters of the Southeast. It was a get together to meet the new artist's in the group which consists of me, Jim Richards and Lori Putnam. We were joined the first day for a paint out in Leiper's Fork by Anne Blair Brown, Diane and Frank May, Brett Weaver and Roger Brown and Beverly Evans. After a full day of painting we spent the evening in Nashville at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. They have a show there now called "The Birth of Impressionism" and it's on loan from the Musee d'Orsay. If you have not been, go. It's wonderful. There is a painting there by Jules Bastien LePage titled "The Haymakers" that did it for me. It is a huge painting and the greens in it are phenomenal. I mix greens. I mix greens all the time. I mix greens for a living and I have never seen a green like this. It's grey and cool and deep and rich. And it's juxtaposed against other colors that make it this vibrant green yet when you look at it closer it's almost grey or blue or something else I can't get my head around. The effect of it was gorgeous. Speaking of greens, the next day we painted at a farm in Fernvale, had a catered lunch, and then dinner at one of the artist's home. In that home happened to be two Clyde Aspevig paintings. These were two of the most fabulous paintings I have stood in front of and in one of these paintings was a green. A perfect green. There is not a word between "aardvark" and "zymurgy" that describes this green so I won't try to with my limited linguistic talents but these are the times when you realize what is meant by "genius" in reference to great landscape painters. My rods and cones feel like they are cooling down after an Ironman triathlon.
We painted as a group one more time on Saturday morning and then all left until next spring when we plan on having the entire group together again right outside Charleston. I am looking forward to meeting the other artists and being part of the group.

6 comments:

greggart said...

Clyde is the best landscape painter a live. Not even a question or debate. I stood in front of a 40 x 60 painting in Bozeman, MT of his and have never seen anythine like it. It's hard to believe human beings can do what he does. To truly get his effect you need to see then live. Thanks for posting Kevin....looked like a good outing.

Kevin Menck said...

The "live" thing with Aspevig paintings I totally agree with. I have seen tons of reproductions but the real thing is just sooo much better. There are things in those paintings that just can't be reproduced.

Doug said...

I like that shine on those tin roofs... nice touch!

Lynn Lancaster said...

I agree Kevin. Greens are the most illusive colors. When I tell students to mix black and yellow ochre for green, they look at me like I'm crazy, but it works. Great paintings

Kevin Menck said...

Thanks Doug! See you're still alive!
Lynn - I did the "Zorn" palette a couple of times and you're right, the black and ochre make some awesome greens.

Chris Ousley said...

Kevin, saw the Lepage at the Frist today. You are right about those greens. I also like what he did with the hill in the background. I liked the Bouguereaus a lot and the Gleaner by Breton. Pissarro is always my favorite of the French Impressionists. My man Gustave Dore' was there as well. Saw the Duran also...got to hit it again. Good to see you at Radnor today...