Monday, August 6, 2018

An Essay on Plein air and Studio Work

by guest blogger Curtis Jaunsen of Ocean Springs, MS

Plein Air East Beach, Morning 8x10 by Curtis Jaunsen

One of the things I’ve read about in art marketing essays is that the artist benefits from having a consistent “look” or style to their work. According to this theory, consistent work is easier for the potential collector to connect with, particularly if it is different enough from other artists work that it stands out just by that virtue.

Lemons and Vase 18x18 by Curtis Jaunsen
                I don’t dispute this, it’s something I’ve been trying to be a little more careful about with my work, its just something that I haven’t really achieved yet. I paint inside my studio probably around 75 percent of my working time and outside, ‘en plein air”, the other 25 percent.

Studio Painting, Ocean Springs Sunset 24x36 by Curtis Jaunsen

 I probably paint an even number of landscapes and still lifes with an occasional portrait when the spirit moves me. When I first started out though it was almost exclusively still lifes and then always painted in the slow and careful method I learned from the Florence Academy of Art. In those paintings the subject was light and how it revealed the objects and surroundings in my still life setup. My sole focus was on capturing the atmosphere that gave it all a sense of life. 


A couple things happened over the last few years to change my approach. One was that when I went outside to paint I discovered slow and careful doesn’t really work. The light conditions change too quickly and the artist is almost required to be bold. The other was that after painting a few hundred still lifes in a classical, traditional manner the whole process started to feel repetitive and boring. 

Bowl with Lemons, 9x12 by Curtis Jaunsen
Studio Painting, Coast Harbor, 16x20 by Curtis Jaunsen
Now I have an almost two separate approaches when working. When I’m outside or when I’m inside painting something that I feel needs a more direct treatment I try to paint with the concern being accuracy. I look for the subtleties that require a bit of careful observation but then I try to put it on canvas pretty much as seen with little concern for paint handling, just straight forward brush on canvas. Hopefully these paintings have emotional content but if so probably more from the observation of the scene and less the painting process if that makes sense.
              
When I’m inside my studio however the rules are different. Whether it’s a landscape or still life being painted, I am still looking for subtleties, still looking to create a sense of close observation. I start off my painting as before, carefully drawing and establishing the accurate values and colors, but rather than refine and continue this process, while the paint is still wet, I like to use a variety of methods to move it around, blending objects into the background and vice versa. The process becomes a lot more important, making the paint and how its pushed around as important as the scene being rendered. In the studio I use several different palette knives, a large scraper, a few different putty knives, tissues and paper towels and of course different brushes to put paint down and move it around. 

Glass Vase and Lemons 16x20 by Curtis Jaunsen
During the process I’m looking at the canvas more and the subject less. I can push it into a more realized rendering of the subject or a more abstracted direction. Which direction I go while painting is determined by what I’m seeing on the canvas and whether I think it’s working or not. This open ended process makes the final painting more of a discovery than something predetermined. The best result is one where both the scene and the painted surface look fully observed, meaning you can tell the artist really understood the shifts of light, the gesture of the forms in the scene being painted and the paint itself.


Plein Air- Biloxi Harbor 9x12 by Curtis Jaunsen
One thing I think I’m going to try in the future is bringing some of the studio methods outside. Its good to keep trying new things and maybe that can lead to more consistency.


               Curtis Jaunsen is a Mississippi artist who lives on the Gulf Coast. Formerly an architect practicing in Atlanta, Curtis moved with his family to Mississippi almost twenty years ago to be closer to his wife’s extended family. He began his life as artist by first studying classical painting at the Florence Academy of Art in Florence, Italy. Since 2005 Curtis has been painting portraits, still lifes and landscapes, outside or in his studio in Ocean Springs, MS.



Curtis’s plein air paintings are available at the Pink Rooster Gallery in downtown Ocean Springs. His studio work, including portraits, landscapes and still lifes can be see at the Carol Robinson Gallery on Magazine Street in New Orleans. He will be having a solo show at Carol’s gallery this September 8th. Additionally his work can be seen online at curtisjaunsenart.com. A link to his facebook and Instagram pages can be found on his website.

A big thanks to Curtis Jaunsen for his story!



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1 comment:

  1. Dear Curtis,
    Well done my friend! That was well written and thoughtful, and I appreciate your contribution. Beautiful painting examples too!
    Thanks again, Dot

    ReplyDelete