Spotlight | American Impressionist Society: Eckert & Ross Fine Art

Indianapolis, IN, November 1-30

Stewart White, Temple Gate, watercolor, 10 x 14.

Stewart White, Temple Gate, watercolor, 10 x 14.

This story was featured in the November 2012 issue of Southwest Art magazine. Order the Southwest Art November 2012 print edition here, or purchase the Southwest Art November 2012 digital download here. Or simply subscribe to Southwest Art magazine and never miss a story!

In 1874, a group of French artists—including Claude Monet, Alfred Sisley, and Camille Pissarro—organized an exhibition that launched the artistic movement known as Impressionism. While many were initially put off by the radically different technique and vivid colors, by the mid-1880s Impressionism had gained significant popularity in the U.S. Over a century later, the American Impressionist Society was founded. Today, the group continues to promote the appreciation of Impressionism through workshops, exhibitions, and other activities.

This month, members of the group display their work at Eckert & Ross Fine Art for the 13th annual AIS juried exhibition and sale. Master Artist and judge Kevin Macpherson presents more than $50,000 in awards at an opening reception on Thursday, November 8, from 5 to 8:30 p.m. A Master Symposium takes place at the Herron School of Art and Design November 9-11. The event features demonstrations and lectures from nine AIS Master Artists, including Quang Ho, Carolyn Anderson, and Kenn Backhaus.

The show features works in oil, acrylic, pastel, and watercolor in a wide variety of subject matter. Approximately 120 paintings were selected from more than 1,000 submissions. In the following paragraphs, you’ll learn about a handful of the artists who made the cut.

Brenda Boylan, Curbsides, pastel, 12 x 9. (IN SHOW)

Brenda Boylan, Curbsides, pastel, 12 x 9. (IN SHOW)

Stewart White paints cityscapes and landscapes in watercolor and oil. He also works as an architectural illustrator and designer in Baltimore, MD. His background in architecture gives him an understanding of line, proportion, and geometry, as well as an appreciation for space and light that comes through in his fine art.

Brenda Boylan primarily paints landscapes and urban scenes in pastels, though she occasionally works with oils as well. She has an affinity for plein-air painting, which she describes as “a combination of joy, poetry, and spirituality” that uses all her senses to capture the beauty of the landscape.

Michael Clements is a 25-year resident of Maui, HI, who has recently rekindled his passion for painting. Today you’ll often find him rendering his pastel landscapes en plein air around Maui. “I feel blessed to live in a community that encourages and promotes the growth of artists,” he says.

Kathy Cooper is drawn to paint “the beauty of God’s creations,” especially flowers and the landscape. Her work has been described as a delicate balance between energy and precision of the subject. She paints from life in her studio in Westford, MA, and en plein air throughout New England and the U.S.

Massachusetts-based landscape painter J.E. Daly works in oil, watercolor, pastel, and acrylic. He travels extensively and has painted in Europe, North America, and Asia. “I am most inspired in the creative process when painting en plein air … I try to find the human element in nature, from the exotic to the mundane,” he says.

New York-based plein-air painter Ann Larsen uses lively brush strokes and textural paint to interpret what nature provides. “The landscape process is more about what you don’t say than what you do say,” she says. Her love of the landscape is what draws her to paint outdoors time and time again. —Lindsay Mitchell

contact information
www.americanimpressionistsociety.org

Featured in the November 2012 issue of Southwest Art magazine–click below to purchase:
Southwest Art magazine November 2012 digital download
Southwest Art magazine November 2012 print edition
Or subscribe to Southwest Art magazine and never miss a story!


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