Blog

THE PLEIN AIR CONNECTION NEWSLETTER Dec 14th, 2013
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!


"Silver Sunset, Monhegan" an oil on oak board 8 x 10 inches by Michael E. Vermette

On Saturday December 14th the Plein Air Connection group meet for their last class of 2013. We did not share a lunch together because of the holiday shopping most of us still needed to do. But that did not stop us from having a very rich conversation about Originality, the address Henri had with the students of the School of Design in Philadelphia, seeing, and his letter to the Art Students League.

We began by discussing how originality isn't something that an artist needs to be worried about. Originality will stick to you or show you up for better or worse in spite of what we or anyone else does. Henri begins to address the focus on real study for art students as not being one of technique alone. That real quality study for an art student is more about developing your sensitivity toward nature and fostering that imagination we were born fully with as a child. We discussed how art schools shame  this appreciative imagination out of us to guide us away from whimsy and adventure and more toward being " clever Jugglers of the Brush, having nothing to say." We agreed with the statement,

"No thing is beautiful.  All things await the sensitive and imaginative mind that may be aroused to pleasurable emotion at sight of them. This is beauty." - Robert Henri

Beauty is not a material thing and cannot be copied. It is a sensational pleasure on the mind of the seer. It's a knowledgeable way to paint that is informed by the need to do something exciting through the work. To simply paint the landscape or figure devoid of your sensations is to begin shutting down your sensibilities toward the  subject. 

We should also try to express one idea and one frame of mind toward our subjects. A painting is a "Living Thing" and should suggest the aroused fancy of the artist. If we fail to do this we run the risk of our painting being well copied pieces that have no communication between the artist and the viewer. We need to ask questions like, "What is my highest pleasure in painting this? and then Why? 


"The Glow of the Christmas Tree" an oil on canvas 13 x 17 inches by Eric Glass

My good Friend and fellow colleague Eric Glass gave me a painting upon marrying my wife Elaine. It reminds me of  what Robert Henri is getting at. Eric was into nocturne paintings at the time and during the Christmas vacation or leading up to it, he painted the glow of a fully lit Christmas tree with all the ornaments and tinsel on it. It has always been among my favorite paintings of his because you are fully aware of the artist's whimsical imaginative delight in his subject. He not only answers the question of what his highest visual pleasure is in the subject but also the question of why, by creating a great sense of peace and calm. His painting is nature as seen through temperament, a piece out of a man's life and a painting that lives on in its own blood! As I recall, when he painted this work and presented it to our class in critique at Maine College of Art in the 80's, I am reminded of the faith he had in himself as a painter. While most of the class occupied their images with what they thought they should like, Eric painted what genuinely intrigued him. After all isn't art an extended language that reveals ourselves? This painting takes on the wise artful language of  the weight of Eric's beautiful expression. No tricks  of painting techniques for the sake of appearing cleaver. I love this painting and so do many who have taken the time to see it.

Next the group moved on to talk about how an artist sees or seeing like an artist. We like the quote that " it is harder to see than it is to express." Seeing, as in the example of Rembrandt's paintings, is a matter deep revelation into the significance of things. We agreed that technique is really making, inventing and twisting it into a shape that must serve a purpose. Technique must always be reinvented, always new towards the exact thing that is needed. We also liked the quote:

" A great artist is one who says as nearly what he means as his powers of invention allow." - Robert Henri. 

Painting should never be a matter of collecting and storing but instead seeing, inventing and making, which really is the fun in the process. We agreed that there are paintings that seem to be influenced by education and that there are those that are manifested out of love. Thomas Eakins was one of these painters of love who didn't find the need to romanticized or sentimentalized his subjects to make them beautiful. He painted beautiful figures in the landscape not pretty paintings with a lot of swagger. Beauty for him meant honesty and respectfulness toward humanity. We thought it was excellent that Henri talked about the undercurrent, the real life, beneath all appearances everywhere. His quote as follows is great!

"It is this sense of the persistent life force back of things which makes the eye see and the hand move in ways that result in true masterpieces. Techniques are thus created as a need. It is necessary to work very continuously and valiantly, and never apologetically. In fact, to be ever on the job so that we may find ourselves there, brush in hand, when the great moment does arrive." - Robert Henri

We must run this marathon with full faculties to play hard to seize great moments just under the surface of the obvious. Cezanne knew this. He knew that paintings that have had months of labor expended on them may be more incomplete that a sketch. Many of his paintings appear unfinished with raw canvas showing. I was told by my instructor at MECA that Cezanne actually stopped when he had a new revelation rather than try to pour new wine into an old wine skins as it were. New ideas deserved a new focus on a new canvas. And so, many of his paintings show a very clear progression of intense realization beyond his materials of simply constructing a painting. 

So as we experience the holidays, let us as painters get down on our hands and knees with those winsome children who have amazing imaginations and who have not yet been shamed out of it yet. Let us sing the carols with family and friends and construct the handmade cards that our relatives always frame. And as we pause to take in a moment of peace as we sit by the glow of our Christmas tree let us be seers of the true meaning of the season that is hidden deeper within, that undercurrent that speaks of love and acceptance and of every good and perfect gift. May we be fueled with a love that takes action and goes beyond thoughts and feelings and is full of paradigm shifts, musings and amazing people. 


"The Grinch Photo Stand-in", Elaine Vermette, my wife (top), Kaden, my grandson (left) , and Tiana my daughter (right). This is an art project that my elementary school students made this year for their Holiday art show and concert night. It was a real hit with everyone and lots of fun too!

We will meet again at Grace Church 1404 Broadway in Bangor on January 4th to resume our discussion of Robert Henri's letters to his students in his book "The Art Spirit." We will schedule painting trips every Tuesday starting January 7th. We will keep you posted as to where and when.

May this special Holiday Season be profound, inspiring and fill your well with light fun!

Michael E. Vermette
The Coordinator of the Plein Air Connection

If you enjoy this newsletter please feel free to send it to others. To sign up for this newsletter please go to my web site at https://www.michaelevermette.com.