Plein Air Exhibit Opens at BRAC Nov. 17

The Tri-County Plein Air Painters will have their first exhibit this month at the Blue Ridge Arts Center (BRAC) in Seneca. The exhibit, located in the Classroom Gallery, will open with a reception from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 17, and will run through Dec. 15.

Members of the group are Yvonne Park, Sue West, Diana Gilham, Donna O’Hara, Teresa Anderson, Sherron Fergason, Brenda McClean, Lori Solymosi—all members of the Anderson Artists Guild—and Jill Rees. There are 59 pieces in the exhibit in a variety of mediums, including watercolor, oil, pastel, and acrylic.

The group started almost two years ago when Park reached out to other plein air enthusiasts, and they’ve continued to gather twice a month at local spots to paint: Pendleton Square, Ashtabula, Old Stone Church and Boxwood Manor in Pendleton; Split Creek Farm, Denver Downs, and Wren Park in Anderson; Twin Creeks Lavender Farm in Williamston; Chattooga Belle Farm in Long Creek; McClean Maple Farm in Piedmont; the Bauknight House in Walhalla; Cherry Street Marketplace in Seneca; and Table Rock State Park, Oconee State Park, Sassafras Mountain, and the Keowee Sail Club. They’ve also attended plein air competitions in Brevard, Belmont, and Blowing Rock, N.C., and Edisto Beach, S.C.

Over the past two years, Park has noticed an evolution in the group. “When we first started, it took us forever to paint a scene,” she said. “But the experience has really loosened us all up. Now we can paint pretty quickly; you have to in order to capture the changing light, shadows, etc.”

It has also sharpened their artistic eyes. “Things we’d never considered painting before, we look at altogether differently now,” said Park. “Like a tree in the middle of a field—now we can see its beauty and know that one tree can make a great painting.”

Also keener is their appreciation of color. “Looking at the sky right now, I wonder what I’d have to mix to get that color,” she said. “It is addicting.”

For more information about the Tri-County Plein Air Painters, visit https://www.facebook.com/tricountypleinairpainters.

More information about BRAC is at https://www.blueridgeartscenter.com/.