A Collaboration With Paint

Artists Louise Lacey-Rokosh, Laurie Aldridge, and Theresa Williams live and paint in southern Alberta. Theresa is an accomplished landscape painter, Laurie is a magnificent portrait artist, and Louise is a masterful painter of unique still arrangements and stunning florals. All three often work from life as part of their individual art practices. They each agree that studying their muses out of doors in natural light, lends a perspective difficult to find in-studio yet invaluable when designing and planning larger works. Knowing first-hand the importance of plein air painting and seeing its rapid growth through-out the art world, Louise, Laurie, and Theresa wanted to offer an opportunity to other artists less familiar with the genre, to explore painting outside and discover locations often overlooked. They also wanted to introduce the Leighton Art Centre to new artists and extend the Centre’s reach. Theresa, Laurie, and Louise hoped to encourage artists of all experience levels come join them in the fun, knowing everyone would benefit from seeing each other’s paintings, equipment, and methods. Inviting and including other artists and community members dictated choosing locations and dates well in advance as opposed to deciding to go paint on a whim or last-minute arrangements. Theresa, Louise, and Laurie named their project Come Paint Alberta, an invitation to come paint and be inspired.

 

The project was originally planned for 2021 and was to conclude with an exhibition of plein air paintings at the Leighton Art Centre, however Covid restrictions deferred the date. Having an extra year gave Laurie, Louise, and Theresa time to “craft” their proposed project and it evolved into a series of artist-led, multi-county, community paint outs rather than solely one on-location paint festival at the Leighton Art Centre. It quickly became obvious that many people want to paint plein air but are nervous about going out on their own or just do not know where to start. Offering numerous locations in southern Alberta with three recognizable artists organizing and attending, no need to preregister, and no cost to participate, made the paint outs inclusive and welcoming. As project leads, Theresa, Laurie, and Louise, were often too busy talking paint and fielding questions, with short little demos between, to complete detailed and complicated pieces of their own. Watching Louise, Laurie, and Theresa each paint little studies and demo different equipment and approaches, helped many new painters see a wide variety of materials and techniques, and the occasional critique or suggestion helped others work past disappointments and frustration. Making room for these other artists to submit work for juried opportunities to be included in the show at the Leighton Art Centre was intended to encourage participation and make the show as interesting and informative as possible. Theresa, Laurie, and Louise knew they needed additional artworks to help fill the gallery walls, and they also knew many of the artists would benefit by the experience gained in joining the paint-outs and submitting to and participating in a group plein-air show at a significant public art venue.

 

Knowing the paint-out days would be busy, Theresa, Laurie and Louise decided to attempt large collaborative plein air pieces on the day immediately following each paint-out. They wanted to create five significant pieces that would anchor the gallery show. This idea began when Laurie watched two painters work collaboratively on a small plein air painting at the Leighton Art Centre paint out in 2021. She loved the joy they experienced together; and she adored their painting which she purchased. Shortly after, Theresa and Louise decided to experiment with a large collaborative studio painting in the winter of 2021/22; their painting exhibited in the Leighton Art Centre’s 2022 Juried Members Show. Theresa and Louise found the collaborative process invigorating and felt it recharged many aspects of their individual work. They discovered that individual marks are supportive but not the lead act, teamwork is essential, (Ongoing discussions regarding composition and color mixing.) and leaving individual egos at the door, critical. The experience was so positive that they felt it had to be incorporated into Come Paint Alberta. For their large collaborative paintings, Theresa, Laurie, and Louise chose to use acrylic paint rather than oil paint, their individual medium of choice. Unlike oils, acrylics dry within minutes and that sped up the process. Working collaboratively on large panels outside in less-than-ideal conditions, while using unfamiliar materials, was often uncomfortable and difficult and demanded new ways of thinking and problem solving. However, having more time and other artists to rely on, lent greater freedom for exploration and experimentation. The acrylics accommodated layering paint with abandon and all the outside space and room to work generated more immediate mark making and less concern over preciousness. Each painting contains physical evidence of the location and weather, including clumps of dried paint, dust, grass, and a few insects.

 

The opportunity to paint each place two days in a row instead of just for a couple hours, allowed Laurie, Louise, and Theresa to observe in greater depth then plein air painting sessions typically afford. This meant exploring each place open to finding more than just something interesting to paint, and that curiosity encouraged engagement. Passersby shared many personal stories including local history and community connections, and a real sense of pride and place showed in all the questions asked about the paintings and equipment and why there on that day. Many memorable moments occurred. Some project highlights include an elder walking his young grand-daughter home from the playground and promptly returning to proudly show the buffalo skull his dad had painted many decades earlier. Then a renowned Alberta photographer out documenting historic buildings as part of an ongoing 30-year project, stopped and chatted about all the changes he had observed and how exciting it was to see painters also capturing moments in time. A local community group starting to host events in hopes of raising funds to preserve a few grain elevators, were thrilled Come Paint Alberta had chosen to paint their location and help amplify that cause. An old rancher committed to educating folks about Alberta’s important role in ranching and Canadian history, made sure to include Come Paint Alberta attendees in his afternoon talks. A participating artist was overheard saying they felt like a wildcard entrant in Landscape Painter of The Year. Amateur artists painted beside well-known, internationally successful painters and enjoyed an afternoon of easy camaraderie. Kids were fascinated with the idea of painting outside and rarely asked why anyone would do such a thing. Tourists understood the attraction immediately: they were also out exploring and looking for the unusual.

 

Plein air painting is not easy. It has defined parameters that every artist must work within. Location, time of day, weather, season, length of painting session, and every painter’s emotional and visual response all influence the work. Every plein air artist is quite simply painting “life” from “life”.  The immediacy of plein air painting is unique from studio painting where the artist can control most variables, often for weeks on end. By completing this project entirely en plein air, on scheduled days at specific locations, and especially when using unfamiliar materials collaboratively, Louise, Laurie and Theresa ensured every artist involved was on equal footing to each other including the project leads.

 

The collaborative paintings were deliberately very large: sizable panels make sharing space easier, and painting becomes a physical body movement as opposed to a wrist or arm movement. Theresa, Laurie, and Louise were inspired by many artists, present and past, such as Ken Knight an Australian Artist renowned for taking large panels into the Outback, and the Spanish painter Joaquin Sorolla, who painted extremely large paintings in the open air on the seacoast of Valencia. Creating collaboratively as painters is not as common as musical collaborations, although many notable examples exist such as Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, and Pablo Picasso and Gjon Mili. Louise, Laurie, and Theresa found their collaborative work unexpectedly powerful and unique, and the experience both energizing and educational. Each painting is a conversation but with colors and marks in place of words.

 

The exhibition, Come Paint Alberta, is visual evidence that there is no right way or wrong way to see, to interpret, or to paint a view plein air. Whether working alone, in a group, or collaboratively, every interpretation is correct. Grouping all these paintings together into arrangements by location, gives the viewer a glimpse of what the artists saw and shares a bit of the wonderful experience each location provided.

 

 A few details and summary of the five collaborative paintings follow:

 

Canmore

April 10/11

The Sky Is Crying

40”x60”

Mixed Media on Cradled Birch

(Acrylic Paints, Conte Crayons, Graphite Pencils)

An early April storm blanketed the mountains with a couple inches of snow and clouds kept obscuring the Three Sisters. Deciding on a subject meant either focusing on the mountains and placing them quite high or making the dramatic skies a primary feature supported by the mountains below. The composition was carefully laid out utilizing basic dynamic symmetry and manages an unusual emphasis on the sky and drippy underpainting. The Three Sisters are a popular subject for painters, but usually from a lower vantage point. From an elevated view the mountains loom forward and seem indestructible although developments are encroaching, and the views will change. Graphite pencils and conte crayons were used in the final stages to add interest and bring near elements forward while complimenting the pops of vivid blue placed and carefully guarded by Laurie.

 

Fort Macleod

April 24

Sunday Morning Sidewalk

48”x36”

Acrylic Paint on Cradled Birch

Sunday was hot and sunny, albeit very quiet following a cold and grey but very busy Saturday. Choosing a subject when surrounded by interesting old buildings was not easy. However, the energy and sense of importance lent by the signage and historic street scenes is paramount in Fort McLeod. This is a multi-layered acrylic painting, completed in one primary session followed up by another hour on the street in late June to resolve a few minor issues. It has design roots evolved from applying dynamic symmetry for compositional balance and tips a hat to the less glamourous history of a popular drinking establishment in a small town trying hard to confront its many social issues.

 

Nanton

May 15

Glory Days

24”x48”

Acrylic Paint on Stretched Canvas

There are few Alberta views more iconic than the prairie grain elevator. Saturday was spent painting the grain elevators individually from many different angles all emphasizing the “sunny side”. This collaborative piece portrays the working side, giving completely different light and mood. After the initial underpainting and marks were made, Louise suggested turning the panel upside down. The underpainting originally intended for the sky was now at the bottom and became the ground. The fact that these grain elevators are no longer functional, and their future uncertain, is reflected in the ghostliness of sections left unfinished or transparent. They are proud, strong, dramatic monuments to a past era and time. 

 

Bar U

June 3

Cattle Call

24”x48”

Acrylic Paint on Cradled Birch

Friday June 3^rd was hot and windy, but the weekend forecast included more wind and a lot of rain. However, plein air painting is about responding to weather conditions without giving up and carrying on with needed modifications as required. The panel ended up hung off a pick-up truck with the tailgate used for mixing colors, the only easel and pochade available that wouldn’t blow away. This painting came together the fastest of all the collaborative pieces. It is very much an emotional and physical response to the location in all that wind and heat. 

 

Orkney Overlook

June 26

Hallelujah

36”x36”

Acrylic Paint on Cradled Birch

A beautiful site looking down into the Red Deer River valley: one of the finest views to paint in Alberta. This painting is deliberately very loose and almost abstract. The heat and bright sunlight made seeing values and shapes difficult and the painting was nearing a point where rescheduling another session seemed inevitable. Once all three painters agreed to rework any or all areas, or junk the piece, Theresa grabbed a huge brush and announced, “we know this painting is about the water”, and boldly laid down the blues which reconfirmed the painting’s subject and focus. The most magical thing about this painting is the fearlessness - the boldness of the blue and all those crazy marks. Never be afraid to “ruin” a painting.

 

All five collaborative paintings are bold, colorful, and painterly. Each canvas or panel was approached with big brushes to nail down compositions early and hit color responses on every pass. Working collaboratively pushed all three artists out of their separate comfort zones and helped them grow artistically. Having immediate and honest feedback with hands-on demonstration added direct technical knowledge as did the many discussions regarding materials and equipment. Working large with limited time required making decisions quickly and committing to the subject and composition. Experimenting with a less familiar medium meant constantly exchanging the roles of teacher and student. All too often artists work alone in small studios and being able to spend days painting together was productive and inspiring. Agreeing to work collaboratively meant taking chances and welcoming risk while depending on each other. This allowed a collective voice to form, and that voice speaks a brand-new language quite different from the three individual voices. The biggest take away from this experience is realizing that individual marks, while essential, are not as important as the overall vision and plan. Viewers love confidence and these collaborative pieces are all that. Melding three sets of diverse skills to create five provocative and interesting paintings has added confidence and provided additional tools and solutions to all three artists.

 

Come Paint Alberta is currently hanging in the main gallery at Leighton Art Centre through to October 23rd, 2022.

 

Louise Lacey-Rokosh www.cllacey.com

Laurie Aldridge www.lauriealdridge.com

Theresa Williams www.tmwilliamsart.com

Leighton Art Centre www.leightoncentre.org