Today we are featuring three artists from our 3rd annual Plein Air in Clifton Springs event—Andy Reddout, Sherry Blanco, and Bev Abplanalp!
A total of 45 artists spent the morning and early afternoon of Saturday, September 16 painting in and around the village of Clifton Springs which in turn led to 61 total pieces in the Plein Air in Clifton Springs 2023 exhibition. We’ll soon have new Painted in Clifton Springs notecards in our gallery shop featuring paintings made during the event, stay tuned!
Andy Reddout
“I am always drawn to gritty, grimy, off-the-beaten-path type subjects. I like to capture some everyday things you might walk by, and make the “not so noticeable” a little more beautiful. Plus it’s a lot more (fun for me) to paint a dumpster than a view of a lake!
Pizza Crust by Andy Reddout, painted behind Nima’s Pizza
I talk to my students a lot about the art-making process and being in the moment while they work. We spend a lot of time discussing the idea that the end result isn’t always the best, but how we got there. And for this piece, I struggled a lot within the first hour, and struggled some more for another hour. Then the last 30 minutes I felt like my piece came together and I learned a lot in my time painting this subject. The end result wasn’t exactly what I had in mind—but in art-making when does that ever happen!
As I have stated, I like the gritty, grimy subjects that I can warp, skew, and play with the perspective. Everything and anything looks better when it’s painted or drawn!”
Sherry Blanco
“I chose to participate in this years Plein Air painting because I needed to “get back in the saddle” and once again begin making art that is for ME once again. As a newly retired Art teacher much of my work was related to what I would be doing with high school art students and somehow along the road I lost my inner artist. This was a stressful decision for me to make and to get out the oils and put myself out into the world. I guess I’m trying to regain the confidence I once took for granted.
The Blues by Sherry Blanco, painted in her own back yard
I am so glad that I participated because I met so many lovely people/artists and while I chose to paint in “my own back yard” to ease back in, I accomplished what I had hoped I would & a wee bit more. After painting “The Blues” I went to Warfield’s garden and created a tiny pastel pencil close up of a flower & framed it with a sweet humming bird frame.”
Bev Abplanalp
“I am energized and inspired by light and nature’s beautiful sounds. Clifton Springs offers a graceful landscape of mature trees and sweetly singing waterways. I wanted to explore two trees near the labyrinth and consider the history of the sulphur springs and Dr. Foster’s feeling for this unique land. I thought a lot about the Onödowá’ga’ (Seneca) people and their connection to this very place.
Making use of water based materials including acrylic and watercolor paint with dry pigment allowed me to honor the springs. The lightness of the color range in my piece conveys the exquisite light filtering through the moving maple leaves over the stream bank on the Foster Cottage lawn where I set up a folding table and stood mesmerized by this abundant beauty. I placed imagery taken from the west face of the Foster Cottage beneath the trees that grow alongside the labyrinth. This freedom to move elements of the landscape around gives me room for imprinting my own vision and artistic experience into the work, rather than the task of reproducing a particular portion of a specific landscape as I would in using a camera, setting up the “frame” and perspective, timing of the shutter and effort to “control” the light.
Thank you so very much for a gorgeous day and the opportunity to share a beautiful place with other creative spirits!”
