Local scenes painted by three en plein air artists will be exhibited at Eclectic Gallery in June.
Each artist, well established in his or her own right, combine their talents to present works that are both descriptive and often impressionistic at Eclectic Gallery starting June 8.
Oil painter Peter Dowgailenko has what gallery owner John Taylor calls “an amazing calmness.”
“He talks about how looking at a scene for three hours you get into the mood of it, an emotional feeling of the light,” Taylor said. “It’s so interesting when you sit and look at something for a long period of time, other thoughts come to you, that’s what he paints.”
Metchosin artist Desiree Bond captures the atmospheric wispiness of clouds and reflected light off the water. Lately she’s come to start incorporating her earliest sketches from an en plein air session into the finished work.
“She’s drawing certain forms or outlines and then she paints,” Taylor said. “She used to paint over that, but now she’s incorporating that into the painting.”
As part of the well known outdoor painting group Al Frescoes, she loves the part when they have lunch and critique, Taylor said.
“She said it’s so informative, nobody’s above anybody else. They’re all really learning.”
Deborah Czernecky has a looser interpretation of the subject through her brushwork. Also featured in a couple other shows earlier this year at Eclectic, this offers her an opportunity for a larger collection of her almost tactile paintings.
“She does incredible stuff and part of it is the texture she puts in her paint, you have to experience them in 3D,” Taylor said.
The local painters naturally feature many local places – beach, park and mountain vistas that residents of Greater Victoria will recognize.
“It’s a fascinating way to paint and it seems to be a way of getting out in nature and experiencing everything,” he said.
En Plein Air Painters, featuring works by Desiree Bond, Deborah Czernecky and Peter Dowgailenko, runs June 8 to July 11 at Eclectic, 2170 Oak Bay Ave. There is an opening reception, Saturday, June 11 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the gallery.
