Tennessean Roger Dale Brown visited the coast of Maine and painted his impressions of it. The results are gathered in an exhibition titled, appropriately enough, “Maine Impressions.” This detail from Brown’s painting “Sentries” shows Brown’s purposeful use of value and color. Brown reports that the light yellow mark by the goose’s beak was an invention.
“I created the area by adding a light spot below the darkness of the goose’s head,” he says. “This created a stronger contrast in that area. This, along with a sharper edge and the strong shadow, is enough to make the viewer stop. This portion of the painting was placed there on purpose. I place objects, colors, or value in certain areas of my paintings with intent — not being literal to the scene but being creative and evoking the mood and story of the moment. I want the viewer to go to certain spots in my painting — it’s like taking the viewer on a guided tour throughout your creation. You enter the painting in a certain area and there are stopping points the viewer comes to and hangs out for a while. These are tension areas or subordinate focal points in the painting. They are not strong enough to compete with the focal point, but are strong enough to pull your eye around the painting.”
The gallery hosting “Maine Impressions,” Haynes Galleries in Thomaston, Maine, is owned by a Tennessean as well. “I paint a little bit and have studied with Roger and have been involved in painting activities with him and other friends in Nashville,” says Gary R. Haynes. “This is his first solo show with me. Roger loves to capture moments, and he puts a lot of emotion into his paintings. He’s been able to build a body of work that really is spectacular.”
“Maine Impressions” will be on view from September 6 through 28, 2013. Brown warns that more than a few of the paintings on the gallery’s wall will still be wet — he painted them in Maine this month. Visit the gallery’s website for more information.
Some of the images in this post are no longer available. Learn more about Roger Dale Brown in this episode of the Plein Air Podcast with Eric Rhoads.
What issue on Plein Air magazine was Roger dale Brown in?
Hello! Roger has been featured twice; in the June/July 2012 issue (print and digital), and in the June/July 2016 issue (digital version only). Thank you for checking!
You may also be interested in hearing him on the Plein Air Podcast with Eric Rhoads: https://www.outdoorpainter.com/plein-air-podcast-roger-dale-brown/.