C.D. White – The first Eureka Springs Plein Air Festival (ESPAfest) may be the perfect philosophical creative match for the spirit of Eureka Springs. For one thing, it’s all about capturing the moment; for another, everyone will see it their own way. In this case, that’s the desired outcome.
Beginning May 23, painters from several states, along with local artists, will gather at a different location each day for a week of painting what they see in nature’s open air. (“Plein air” being short for the French equivalent of “in open (full) air.”)
Because paints were compounded with mortar and pestle historically, the tradition was to take an outdoor painting or sketch back to the studio to complete. It was only after the field easel was invented and oil paints first came in tubes in the 1840s that artists could easily complete a painting outdoors.
That being the case, four enthusiastic art school students began to venture into the French countryside to paint in the middle 1860s. But alas, the young artists and their work were roundly rejected by the annual Salon de Paris in 1874 – a tragic blow since no artist was accepted into society or considered important unless his work had been shown there. Rather than accept the blow, the friends, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Alfred Sisley and Camille Pissaro organized a month-long show of their own paintings. Among them was Monet’s “Impression – Sunrise.” After taking it all in, an art critic for a local satirical newspaper coined a derogatory term to describe his distaste for the entire show: impressionism.
And voilà! The rest is history. The Impressionists, along with the Hudson River School in the United States and Newlyn School in England, among others, gave great importance to working outdoors in natural light; but then the movement declined for decades until surging to new life in America in the 1980s.
The new golf?
By 2004, the practice of painting “en plein air” had gained enough adherents to warrant its own national art magazine, and in 2013 had become so popular that the publisher of Plein Air Magazine, Eric Rhoads, called it “the new golf” while speaking at one of the many plein air festivals and competitions held around the country.
In 2016 there are more than 135 of these events scheduled across 36 states, including the inaugural ESPAfest in Eureka Springs. In addition to our local Plein Air Painters of Eureka Springs (P.A.P.E.S) who meet every Wednesday, more than a quarter million people are now estimated to be out there searching the perfect spot to set up an easel along landscapes and sidewalks.
Among them is ESPAfest headliner instructor, Lloyd Kelly, a foremost plein air artist, art educator, lecturer and teaching guide for plein air trips abroad. He comes with impressive educational credentials and a long list of museum exhibitions and gallery shows in the U.S. and other countries.
Kelly encourages artists of all ages and skill levels to join one of the paint outs or workshops being held each day, and the public is even encouraged to come watch. But wouldn’t that be like giving away technique secrets?
“There should be no secrets,” Kelly said. “I share everything. Art is a generous act and all artists should share their knowledge. We’re all as unique as a fingerprint anyway, so we’re not really in competition.”
You’re never too old (or too young)
Kelly makes good on sharing his knowledge. Like a Johnny Appleseed of the art world, he plants the seed of creative thinking with people of all ages wherever he goes.
He recalls a 70-year-old woman who wanted to learn how to paint. “She asked me how long it would take and I told her it would probably be about seven to ten years. She was disappointed and remarked that by then she could be 77 or 80. I told her ‘you’re going to be 77 or 80 anyway,’ so she applied herself and is doing one-woman shows and traveling the world. It opened up a new life for her,” Kelly said.
Kelly will be holding three separate classes during the festival, including his popular “Three-Ring Circus” where he works on three paintings in the same session.
Instructors Carl Petering, David Tripp and Wen Norton will also be conducting workshops covering everything from beginning plein air essentials to art restoration.
Each event during ESPAfest is separately priced apart from registration, so it’s possible to sign up for the entire festival or pick and choose and pay as you go. A full schedule can be found in the May Fun Guide. For details and registration, go to www.essa-art.org or phone (479) 253-5384.