From Plein Air to the Studio

Two Case Studies

The development of the two paintings illustrated in this article really began as a casual request from one of my out of state collectors who expressed an interest in a set of paintings which would exemplify the landscape of northeastern Kansas at its summertime best. What a plum assignment for an artist who wanders this same turf almost every day searching for exactly those subjects! I have always loved to drive around in the countryside, top down, curious to see where back roads might lead. Over the years they have, more often than not, led to good painting subjects. This is part luck and part education, for the landscape painter tunes eye and mind to seek out those combinations of light and shadow, shape and line, which excite us in their potential to express that ineffable “there-ness” which can cause universal connections to be made. So it was with these two paintings.

Summer Brome

Anyone who paints en plein air will tell you that it is an immersive experience. Racing the sun acro…