Ever wonder what the inspiration is behind a certain painting, especially one of a seemingly empty train station or a secluded landscape? On Sunday, June 10, McBride Gallery in downtown Annapolis opened up pandora’s box and discovered it was chock full of painting utensils and ideas. In the afternoon that Sunday, nine artists and interested citizens gathered in McBride Gallery for “Artists’ Favorite Places.”
If you’re familiar with McBride Gallery and go there often, you’ve probably viewed some of the artwork discussed on Sunday. Though much of the artwork discussed was of peaceful scenery, each of the works had a unique story. In fact, sharing these stories was the focal point of “Artists’ Favorite Places.”
Louis Escobedo, an artist out of Easton, shared that his curiosity and youthful spirit inspired his piece entitled “OK, Who’s Got the Hydraulic Jack?” The oil painting features bright colors like electric blue and orange that juxtapose the metallic and earthy colors part of the train yard in Montana. Escobedo let the colors and texture talk for themselves, and instead, focused on his penchant for trains in describing his work.
“There’s always something going on at train yards, and I always want to go back and see what else is going on there,” he begins. “Maybe it’s just because I’m a boy–well, I’m not a boy anymore, I passed 21 long ago–but it’s a freedom with the trains,” Escobedo halfway jokes.
Escobedo literally found this inspiration while visiting a friend in Montana. Everyone at the gallery laughed when Escobedo told how he pacified the border control by telling them he wasn’t Canadian and only wanted to take pictures.
The next artist, Lisa Egeli, contextualized her oil painting “Evening Stage.” “I go out on the dock and am surrounded by beautiful marsh and soft shorelines,” she pauses, “And it’s everything I love.”
The most captivating aspect of her painting (to an untrained eye) is the reflection of the pastel sky on the water. The sky houses light blues, pinks, and purples, like an early morning or evening sky during summer. There’s also dark green foliage in the painting, which only heighten the intensity of color in the sky and water.
Egeli comments on the colors too: “The landscape constantly changes and has so many different moods to it.” Of the sky, Egeli says “I usually shy away from hyper-dramatic weather patterns, but there was a storm passing through and I couldn’t ignore it,” she says. Egeli loves this particular landscape so much, she’s painted it nearly a dozen times.
Ed Hatch presented “Lazy River,” his oil painting of the Shenandoah River. “I’ve probably floated this stretch of the river one hundred times,” he begins. “I started fly fishing there and then appreciated the river for what it was.”
Hatch also commented that the river takes on different looks at certain points of the day. Perhaps for this reason, Hatch said “It’s emotional, floating on the river. It’s easy to paint something you believe in and have emotional ties to.”
Lisa Mitchell truly became one with her inspiration for “Natural Forces”–she fell into the river when she was about 25. “I was crazy out of my mind thinking I could whitewater raft through the river,” she says. “Now I prefer to be on the shoreline admiring the river.” Denise Dumont, another artist part of the show, cut in “Especially with pastels!” Everyone laughed.
“I love the textural quality and the ability to build up textures with pastels,” Mitchell continues after the laughing subsided. “It’s kind of like a middle earth experience; you can only hear the sound of the water at this location.”
James Coe then shared his piece, Quiet Transition.” The perspective is from quite far away–Coe shared he admires this location from a stop sign–and features a red barn with a metal roof. For Coe, the roof is an aspect to admire all on its own. “I find the roof either reflecting the clouds or the sky,” he says. In the painting, the roof has a blue tint, which indeed reflects the blue sky at dusk.
In closing, Coe said the location is “seemingly not that interesting but different lights and weather moods give it interest.” Like many artists, the simplicity caught Coe and he was moved to paint something as apparently menial as an old barn.
Bruce Handford presented “Shoppers,” a portrait of storefronts and shoppers about them. “I’m attracted to light,” Handford begins, “And I feel I have to paint places with lots of light.” The watercolors in the painting speak to the sunlight cascaded onto the stores and the people scattered around. When talking about the people in the painting, Handford alluded to the discretion of the artist. “If I don’t find something attractive enough, I embellish and add that quality, which is what I did with the people,” he says.
“My favorite place?” Lou Messa started, “I love all places!” The artist showed the crowd his acrylic artwork entitled “Reflected Light,” in which a small scale plane soars above a forest of trees and water below. Unfortunately, you’re too late to purchase this lovely picture–someone already scooped it up! However, the other marvelous painting are still for sale. Visit http://www.mcbridegallery.com/showopenings/2012artistsfavoriteplaces.html to view the paintings or head to 215 Main Street and experience the beauty in person.
Denise Dumont’s “Surf Avenue, Soft Winter Light” depicts a simple corner in a beach town. The sky is light and a calm house weathered by ocean salt sits on the corner. A few telephone poles present themselves as part of the backdrop, along with bushes and the road.
“My favorite place?” Dumont starts, “I like cities and beaches, empty or full beaches, I don’t care.” She explained to the crowd she’s lived in both urban and beachy areas but the corner she painted is “a go-to spot I adore.” Dumont adds, “I love this corner so much that I’m a fixture there now! The experience being out there is just so serene. From a painter’s perspective, it’s a different painting every time I go there. The corner has so much activity; the architecture is old and interesting,” Dumont continues. She ends with a dreamy hope: “In another life, I’d want that house that’s on the corner!”
Finally, Will William’s presented his favorite place, a landscape in his painting entitled “Morning Calm.” The oil painting shows a quite marsh-like land with a yellow sky and a dusty purple and pink background of trees. True to form, the water acts a mirror and reflects the pastel colors in the rest of the painting.
“I try to paint all the seasons,” Williams says, “And so far, my favorite time is late spring early summer in the morning.” Williams explains with this painting, he experimented with colors and the landscape lead to the creation of a yellow sky. “I paint it
Artist John Ebersberger was also part of the show but could not attend. His oil painting, “Eastport Roses” pictures a white picket fence with pastel-colored flowers spilling over the sides and top. Enjoy the artwork at McBride Gallery or online via the link provided above.
Not only was the show completely inspiring and lended a hand to appreciating nature on a deeper level, but it also taught the crowd a few things about art. Dedication and a genuine interest in subject matter were common threads between the artists. Nearly all shared they had painted the same scene more than once, some even painted the same location a dozen times. To the artists, there was something alluring about a particular backdrop, barn roof, river current, or sky line.
So what’s the lesson here? Take a hint from artists and focus on whatever catches your attention. Study it, learn from it, and discover what’s deeper underneath. You may find newness or fixate on the same aspect every time. Nonetheless, you’ll develop appreciation and maybe even discover your inner artist along the way.
Leave A Comment