Of all the questions about our artists, these three are the most asked. What goes through their mind before they begin painting, as they work, and finally, how do they know when they are done?
Margaret Gerding answered a few of these questions, at least for her.
“It’s all about the moments put down on the canvas to capture a portrait of the region,” shares Gerding. “My vision has been to capture these quiet moments in a way that exhibits their mood, along with the scene and its complex palette.”
As an artist who prefers to paint “on the scene”, her process can differ slightly from one who prefers studio work. En plein-air, meaning to paint outside, allows an artist to be in a place with all senses.
Gerding says, “Each piece is based on a real place, a moment I have experienced and been inspired by. There is something about being alone with nature—a quiet that connects me. Only this solitude, whether outside or in the studio, allows the landscape to reveal itself to me.”
Even the most diligent plein-air painters usually have a bit of studio time. For Gerding, this is usually where the finishing touches happen.
“My studio gives me more time to examine my work. It’s more intellectual, and the final pieces are polished. When I work en plein air, it is fast, intuitive, and exploratory,” says Gerding. “With both spaces as part of my process, I have the time to develop a piece and push my understanding of the atmosphere and abstract simplifications in the landscape.”
Margaret Gerding’s show will run until July 19 at Maine Art Hill at 5 Chase Hill Rd. Kennebunk.
Click the links below to learn more.
Read more about Gerding.
See our entire collection of Gerding’s work
See the Gerding Show virtually