After an interesting year it was a wonderful surprise to get an email one afternoon in late February saying that The Lightner Museum of St. Augustine had reviewed my application to be a part of their new Lightner Local program to highlight local artists. it was just my luck that I had submitted an exhibition focused on En Plein air painting and the roots of Impressionism in the same month that they were preparing to host a national exhibition of early 20th century American Impressionist paintings. To my excitement they thought it would be an interesting idea to have my Contemporary Impressions exhibit hang in correlation with the master’s exhitbit to show where Impressionism had come in the past century, and where the hallmarks of the genre appear in today’s world.
It was an honor and an opportunity of a lifetime to say the least. The process was a little more expedited in that we thought it would be nice for both shows to open the same week and the Impressionist masters show was set to open in a month. My concept was to show my Plein air studies and their studio counterparts side by side to give visitors insight into the painting process. I ended up doing all my scouting, concept sketches, and plain air paintings in the first week and a half, then submersing myself in the much larger studio pieces. Down to the wire, I finished all the paintings just 24hrs before they were to be delivered, leaving most still wet while hanging. In an ideal world in would have been 3x the prep period, but It was such a good experience to push myself and gain the self-confidence of succeeding under pressure.
In addition to the show, I also taught a two sold-out introductory workshops on painting en plein air in the spirit of the Impressionists. I always enjoy teaching, as I feel it does just as much for my progression as for the students’. It is great to have outlets allowing museum patrons to appreciate art, while also get their hands dirty and experience art, not just view it from afar.
The Lightner is such a beautiful building steeped with interesting history, but she’s more than just a pretty face. I look forward to the future of more engaging and renowned shows they are looking to bring to St. Augustine in the coming years as well as giving Florida artist (like me) a chance to see their paintings hang in a place that every artist dreams of seeing their work.