Sorrel Sky Gallery has announced it is hosting a one-woman show, “Southwest Journeys,” featuring the plein air and studio paintings of Peggy Immel.
From the gallery:
Nature and adventure are Immel’s muse. Her paintings are inspired by the striking beauty of the Southwest, and her passion for the landscape is enhanced by her frequent explorations of both new and familiar places. She regularly paints en plein air, participating in exhibitions across the country. The opening reception will feature several new works, in a variety of sizes, on April 5, 2019, in Durango, CO.
Immel’s subject matter of interest has recently become more geographically local in nature. “I’m painting my immediate surroundings much more and in particular, the area around my house in Taos and the drive up to Durango and Southern Colorado,” she says. Her attention has been focused on lighting and capturing its unique effects on these familiar, yet ever-changing landscapes.
Often painting from the same location, she sees these landscapes as old friends, discovering new and previously unexplored characteristics. At times she includes animals in her paintings, as she finds that a flock of birds or a couple of cows in the distance add life and subtle energy to what might otherwise be a viewed as a staid scene.
In describing her approach, Immel often uses the word “playing,” a true reflection of the joy and fun she experiences as she paints. While using techniques that are characteristic to her work, she also explores color temperature, and patterns of light and dark, experimenting with the contrast of transparent and opaque paint, and the contrast in value patterns.
A Master Signature Member of Plein Air Painters of New Mexico and a Signature Member of Plein Air Artists Colorado, Immel is also a member of Rocky Mountain Plein Air Painters, an invitation-only association. A member of the 2018 Plein Air Convention Expo’s faculty, she was invited to join their 2019 faculty. She received an Award of Excellence at the 2018 Plein Air for the Park event in Grand Teton National Park, WY, and a Best of Signature Members Award at the 22nd Plein Air Artists Colorado 2018 National Juried Exhibition.
Shanan Campbell Wells, owner of Sorrel Sky Gallery, always looks forward to seeing new works from Immel: “For me, Peggy’s paintings have a sense of duality, one of discovery and of familiarity. It’s as if we’ve stumbled on a hidden location, and then realize it’s a place we already know and love. Her ability to share new facets of a well-known landscape refreshes and revives our own view of our surroundings.”
“Southwest Journeys” is on view at Sorrel Sky Gallery (Durango, CO) through April 30, 2019.
Learn from Peggy Immel in person at the 8th Annual Plein Air Convention & Expo, April 24–28, 2019!
