As artists for centuries have found, working out of doors
encourages a more impressionistic rather than considered rendering of the
subject. The light and air changes rapidly and this affects the shape, tone and
color of the subject. Efficiency is the key, and urgency the driving force.
Carol Chandler studied classical painting with Barbara
Johnson in Hadley, MA. She has exhibited her work in area group shows and
juried exhibitions and received top awards for both her plein air and studio
work.
Anne Kusiak
Anne Kusiak studied at the University of Massachusetts and
Syracuse University.She has done
workshops throughout the country with such teachers as Elizabeth Mowry, Albert
Handell, Sally Strand, Paul Leveille, and has studied with Dennis Sheehan and
Hagop Keledjian in Putney, Vermont. The constantly changing mood of nature,
both vibrant and subtle is what inspires her work.She loves painting en plein air and also has a studio in the
Arts and Industry building in Florence, MA.
Catherine is primarily a landscape painter and has been
featured in many recent art exhibits in Western Massachusetts. Her intention is
to reflect the essence of the natural subject but she enjoys using vibrant
color, high contrast, and strong shape to create a unique and dramatic image.
She graduated from Westfield State College with a degree in art as well as art
education. She has also had a successful career in graphic design.
Painting plein air is something that one enters into tentatively, not knowing if you can “do it”.Can you really capture the light and atmosphere of a place in less than two hours and make it believable?Will it touch someone else so they can experience a moment of being there too?I invite you to step with me to that place and relax for a while.
Karin Cook's award winning watercolors focus on the rural
landscape of western Massachusetts. She is an exhibiting member of the Copley
Society, The Academic Artists Association and the Hilltown Artisans Guild. In
the summer she teaches watercolor at the Becket Arts Center.
The attached image is a commissioned house portrait included
in both the New England Watercolor Society and an Academic Artists shows.
My father was a plein air painter and did wonderful landscapes in oil. I knew that when the time was right, I'd start painting as well. When a group of artists came visiting to paint in my backyard, I was naturally inspired. Since joining the Hilltown Plein Air Painters, I've painted nearly every week and have taken watercolor classes with Jack Flynn, Joan Boryta, and continue to learn from our weekly critiques. Painting outside while communing with nature continous to inspire, challenge, and reward my creative efforts.
I have been painting and drawing for a long time and have gone through many changes since college, where figure drawing was emphasized. There was an abstract phase and an attempt to imagine and symbolize meaning. However, now I just enjoy the beautiful scenes of Western Massachusetts by going plein air painting with friends.
