Thru the Barn
24 x 20 in.
Oil on panel
Plein air
Bath County, VA 2017
Available through the artist
Doorways. Passageways. Inside spaces. Outside spaces. Inside out / outside in. There are ongoing discussions as to what plein air is. For me ‘plein air’ is, simply put, plein air between me and the subject no matter what that subject happens to be. It’s about direct observation between the artist and the subject. Direct observation is the key.
This one was painted in Bath County Plein Air 2017 and took Best of Show that year
My challenge: How does one describe a space that is both immediate and distant, and then convey a natural visual movement through that space? And make it believable. The morning light coming from the open corral and spilling into the barn provided negative spaces and light patterns that created a patchwork of geometry. 2-dimension, 3-dimension. Yes, the painting is about the space and the junk within – interior/exterior – but it is also about the description of the image through the use of limited detail and material manipulation. A dance. A balance. Show enough but not too much. That’s what gets me going!
Lon Brauer is an American artist known for his work in figure and plein air landscape. Born in 1955 and coming of age in the seventies, he has roots in the abstract expressionist movement. His work is a mix of the abstract and representational bringing an impressionistic and aggressively physical use of paint and materials to create images that challenge the viewer with new perspectives on the landscape genre.
Lon’s work is frequently shown with the Oil Painters of America and the American Impressionist Society. In 2018 he participated in 10 juried plein air events including Wayne Plein Air; Paint Annapolis; Easton Plein Air; Door County Plein Air; Estes Valley Plein Air; Bath County Plein Air; Cape Ann Plein Air; and En Plein Air Texas. Upcoming for 2019 include ‘Outliers’, a showing with Art St. Louis; ‘the Works’, a showing with OA Gallery; Southwest Plein Air in Galveston, TX; Wayne Plein Air; Paint Annapolis; and Estes Valley Plein Air.
Lon is represented by South Street Art Gallery, Easton, MD; McBride Gallery, Annapolis, MD; Studio 8369, Grand Lake, CO; Charles Fine Arts, Gloucester, MA; OA Gallery in Kirkwood, MO; and Glass Tipi in Ward, CO. He presents numerous workshops throughout the year on painting techniques and alternative methods. He owns Lon Brauer Studios in Granite City, Illinois, where he lives and works with his partner, internationally known quillwork artist Djuana Tucker.
View more of Lon’s work at www.lonbrauer.com.
