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Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters
Plein Air Painting- from the French En Plein Air
meaning "in the open air"- was popularized in the mid-19th century by such
Impressionists as Monet, Manet, Renoir, and Degas, who took their
paints and easels outdoors in order to capture the effects of light and
air. "For me, a landscape does not exist in its own right, since its
appearance changes at every moment; but the surrounding atmosphere brings
it to life-the light and the air which vary continually, " Monet
said. Monet had Giverney, but for a group of contemporary plein air
painters in the Western United States, it's the Rocky Mountain that lure
them from the comfort of the studio. "I grew up in Colorado with the
mountains," says artist Karol Mack, who has painted in Rocky Mountain
National Park since age 9. "As a plein air painter, I often went to
paint-outs in the desert or on the coast and began to wonder why, when we
had such beauty right here." With that in mind, Mack and her
son, Brian Mack, director of Loch Vale Fine Art in Estes Park, Colorado,
formed the
Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters (RMPAP) in 2001 along with artists Carol
Swinney, Jake Gaedtke, and Jeanne Mackenzie. Today the group has
app. 75 juried members and an active schedule of demonstrations and
paint-outs (painting events with a show / sale.) The group has grown way
beyond our expectations" says Brian Mack , who serves as executive
director of the RMPAP.
The R.M.P.A.P. has exhibited in the following locations:
Estes Park, CO 2002 to 2005, and upcoming 2008, Tucson, AZ 2004 and 2005,
Jackson, WY 2005, Winter Park, CO 2003 to 2008, and Steamboat
Springs, CO 2006. Paint-Outs have occurred throughout the Rocky Mountain
region since 2000.
by
Charlotte Berney
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R.M.P.A.P. MISSION
The
focus of the
Rocky
Mountain
Plein
Air
Painters
is to foster and promote the advancement of on-location painting within
the Rocky Mountain region. The R.M.P.A.P. will work to bring artists
and art appreciators together in a creative atmosphere. The emphasis
will be on the fellowship of professional artists. Members are
encouraged to share ideas, enthusiasm, and knowledge with others.
The R.M.P.A.P. will encourage and promote plein air painting as a unique
form of artistic expression.
PLEIN AIR
A
painting inspired by the light, mood, and atmosphere of a passing moment
in time. The plein air painter normally works outside on location
under various weather conditions. The completed work is the artists
interpretation and reflection of the truth seen before them.
(The
R.M.P.A.P. does not require that plein air works be completed alla prima)
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