The colorful, light-filled works of four members of Plein Air Painters of the Treasure Coast – Susan Miiller, Lori McNamara, Diane Mesagno, and Judi LeBlanc – are on display at the Main Street Vero Beach Gallery all this month. Their works are excellent, appealing examples of the airy, colorful, multi-tonal qualities, often loose brushwork, and softness of form that make plein air artworks so appealing.
For centuries, artists have painted in studios, limited by four walls and the accepted guidelines of the time, which tend to create a pre-determined look. Although outdoor painting has always been practiced randomly, it wasn’t until the 1800’s, according to Artistsnetwork.com, that en plein air (French for outdoors) painting was developed into a true art form by the French Impressionists.
Then, artists schlepped easels, canvases, paints and brushes to the fields and woodlands in order to “paint light,” capturing its ever-changing, ephemeral qualities. And ever since, aided by the development of more portable equipment, artists have continued the practice of exiting the confines of their studios, and heading outdoors to capture the changing details of light and weather in real time.
Today, en plein air painting is a popular, powerful and rewarding practice embraced and cherished by artists and art lovers alike.
Artist and show coordinator Susan Miiller (the double i’s are not a misprint) says she can’t remember a time when art was not a passion of hers. Born in the ‘Big Apple,’ Miiller earned a BFA in painting from the State University of New York at New Paltz, where she is a teaching faculty member, and an MFA from the University of North Texas.
Long drawn to Florida’s unique subtropical ecosystems, Miiller describes her work as being “infused with the energy of the oceans, rivers, estuaries, lagoons, mangrove swamps, wildlife, aquatic life, birds and beaches of Florida.”
Through her work, she says she hopes to “instill in the viewer an understanding and appreciation of the natural world. I love oil painting and nature and I hope the viewers can be touched in the same way.”
A follower of Impressionism, Miiller says her art is influenced by Monet’s unparalleled use of “the brightest colors” as well as that of the Hudson River School artists and Thomas Cole. Her work reflects her love of “turning up the volume, painting shadows in purples, greens, brown, even blues.”
Florida native Lori McNamara heads the Plein Air Painters of the Treasure Coast and organizes painting field trips, referred to as “paint-outs.” These excursions, she explains, typically take place in the morning, ending around noon. She and Miiller have been pals for 20 years, about as long as the Plein Air Painters of the Treasure Coast has been in existence. Born in Fort Pierce, McNamara still resides in her “old Florida” family home there, on scenic Indian River Drive.
“I’ve loved painting forever. Since I was a little kid,” she says, adding that she even received a few lessons from renowned Florida landscape painter A.E. (Beanie) Backus himself.
McNamara’s passion for painting is clearly and wonderfully reflected in her work, which captures those subjects with which she is intimately familiar, places she’s known and cherished all her life, such as “old Florida, the beach, the woods, the palms, the savannahs, old Florida houses.”
While the arthritis she has dealt with for years has slowed her a bit, it has not stopped her from leading paint-outs and sharing the joys of plein air painting with fellow artists.
Best known for her natural Florida landscapes, executed with a bold, impasto technique, McNamara, too, describes her style as Impressionistic. Eschewing brushes, she wields a palette knife to produce thick layers. Her visible knife strokes catch the ambient light in diverse ways, the juxtaposition of light and shadow creating interesting contrasts. McNamara describes her technique as “very loose. Like icing a cake.”
Fellow plein air painter Diane Mesagno describes it as “painting with pudding.”
Born and raised in New York, the ebullient Mesagno studied sculpture in Austria before earning a degree in architecture from the New York Institute of Technology. She says her entree into painting was “definitely a progression,” and the more comfortable she became, the more she enjoyed it.
The newest member of the foursome, Judi LeBlanc, is a British artist who studied fine art at Wimbledon College of Art in London. She arrived in Florida “just as COVID hit, and I fell in love with the Treasure Coast.”
It didn’t take long for LeBlanc to discover the Plein Air Painters group and soon felt quite at home among the welcoming group. “The friendliness of the people and the stunning landscape are a constant source of inspiration,” says LeBlanc.
Having lived for a time in the Caribbean, LeBlanc imbues her expressive, joyful works with a tropical vibe, turning up the volume on her vibrant, island-flavored paintings of sea, sky, sand, boats, beach umbrellas and palms with aquas, bright greens, oranges, yellows.
Inside the Main Street Vero Beach Gallery, where the works of all four painters are on display, Miiller and Mesagno spoke about the varying plein air techniques of the four artist friends, what it takes to create a plein air painting.
First, they agree, you have to be fast to capture the ever-changing light and shadows.
“Some days,” muses Miiller, “the poetry is in the sun on the trees and flowers or reflecting in the water. On a dark day, the sky might be of interest, or the dark, dense foliage.”
Miiller says they inspire each other, adding with a grin, “and we help and critique each other.
Sometimes, we have to tell each other, ‘Step AWAY from the painting.’”
“It’s like a dance,” says Mesagno. “People love watching us. They ask, ‘How can you paint a whole picture in just an hour?’ But, in reality, it has taken 30 years to get to this point. There is a vibrancy, an urgency, in plein air painting. It allows us to be aggressive.”
Dispelling any images of solemn painters suffering for their art, she laughs and says, “It’s fun.
Our group is hoot! All of us painting, paint flying, us laughing. That’s when painting comes as natural as breathing.”
As Miiller explains it, the cycle that begins with the creation of a work is complete when someone sees it, connects with it, and decides to own it, sharing a part of the artists’ vision and passion.
Stop by the Main Street Vero Beach Gallery to enjoy these joyful plein air works before month’s end, when the show closes.
Photos by Kaila Jones
