Plein air paintings - OutdoorPainter.com
"Sizzling Heat (1)" is Palecek's plein air piece that provides the basis for two other versions, shown below.
-advertisement-


D. K. Palecek’s explorations toward abstraction start with Wisconsin subjects of old buildings with a texture and patina that exude an earlier era. She explores mood and design through color, shapes, and brushwork and releases the formal rules and guidelines of representational plein air painting.

Plein air paintings - OutdoorPainter.com
“Sizzling Heat” (2)
Plein air paintings - OutdoorPainter.com
“Sizzling Heat (3)” is a studio version of the plein air original. This iteration reaches for the sublime, showcasing only essential elements.

Palecek explains her road to abstraction: “When I look at a scene, I don’t see objects. I see shapes. It took a long time to ‘see’ this way. Then it’s a decision process of breaking the shapes down into smaller shapes that provide just enough information to imply the object. The challenge is to not provide too much information. The challenge is to provide just enough information to imply the scene, allowing the viewer to imagine.”

Plein air paintings - OutdoorPainter.com
“Vacancy” (1)
Plein air paintings - OutdoorPainter.com
“Vacancy” (2)
Plein air paintings - OutdoorPainter.com
“Vacancy” (detail)
Plein air paintings - OutdoorPainter.com
“Vacancy” (3)

Palecek’s exhibition of explorations toward abstraction is on view at Cedarburg Art Museum (Wisconsin) April 3 through July 7. For more information, go to www.cedarburgartmuseum.org.


Like this? Click here to subscribe to Plein Air Today,
a free newsletter from the publishers of Plein Air Magazine.


1 COMMENT

  1. I don’t know whether it was intended or not but in “Vacancy 2” not only do I see a chair but I also see a figure sitting in the chair almost like they’re one in the same. As you say, “the challenge is to provide just enough information to imply the scene, allowing the viewer to imagine.” A very interesting study on multiple variations of the same subject matter.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here