by Bella Erakko
Loving the art of outdoor painting, Dennis readily admits, “Light shapes drawing” because it moves very fast, especially in the early morning and late night. We have all witnessed spectacular sunsets, as rays of last day’s light saturate clouds and sky. As a painter, Dennis has very little time—perhaps only five to ten minutes—to draw “light patterns” in his sketchbook. All too quickly, they are gone. He sees an image he wants to paint; he captures the light as it affects the shapes in the composition; then and only then does he concentrate on structures. “If you’re painting outside in the late afternoon,” Dennis explains, “the sun moves faster. It’s closer to the horizon. In the middle of the day, the sun doesn’t move much overhead; it’s flatter.”
He adds, “In the studio, you have all the time in the world working from a photograph or drawing. But you’re working from intuition; you recall how light affects composition. You have memory.” Cameras flatten light, adjusting towards a center point. They capture an image, but not the true light illumining the image. Dennis experiences outdoor plein aire painting this way: “There is life in the shadows and life in the light.” The artist’s job is to see in a way most of us don’t.
The bark on a tree, the shadows on a barn, the sparkles on a stream … he paints the beauty of … light.
An opening reception will be held on October 8, 2022 from 4:00 until 7:00 with an artist's talk at 6:00. All are welcome to this free event.
