Pine Shores Art Association Collaborates with The Garden Club of LBI in Garden Tour Fundraiser
By Nancy Edwards
Photography by Jeannette Michelson, Garden Club photographer
This year a new twist was added to The Garden Club of LBI’s garden tour on Long Beach Island. Judie Alloway, co-chair of the event, suggested incorporating plein air artists into each garden setting. Judie worked closely with Irene Bausmith, a member of both The Garden Club of LBI and Pine Shores Art Association who took on the job of recruiting artists. The merging of the two volunteer and socially active groups with similar missions to support the community and promote education of their members turned out to be a huge success.
This new venture, Outside Living Garden Tour and Art Show took place on June 15, allowing tour participants to walk along garden pathways and observe award winning artists painting the beauty which encompassed them.
Twenty artists set up their easels at various locations on the tour. The private homes and community gardens were in Barnegat Light, Loveladies, and Beach Haven with bay, lagoon, and ocean views. Tour participants walked through the spectacular gardens designed by top local landscapers. The gardens included specialty trees, pathways of flowers, fishponds, fountains, and raised beds. Guests were in awe of each unique setting, and asked Garden Club representatives and artists many questions.
Often tour participants spoke about their desire to learn to paint and the artists happily shared the various opportunities offered at Pine Shores Art Association whereby members can spend time with fellow artists and take classes. Based at 94 Stafford Avenue in Manahawkin, Pine Shores has been serving local communities for the past forty years.
What is Plein Air Painting?
Plein air is a term derived from the French phrase en plein air, which literally means in the open air and refers to the act of painting outdoors with the artist’s subject in full view. Plein air artists capture the spirit and essence of a landscape or subject by incorporating natural light, color, and movement into their work.
There’s something special about seeing an artist at work that makes people very inquisitive. Often observers tend to ask a lot of questions. At times, this distraction makes it difficult for the artist to focus on their work. Yet, artists know that this is part of the plein air process!
One of the challenges of plein air painting is the constant changing of light as the sun moves across the sky. Strong shadows will appear on a subject in the early morning and tend to shrink as noon approaches. It is important for the artist to initially block-in the main shapes of their painting and work quickly. If this is not possible, the artist may need to return to the exact spot and time of day for multiple sittings.
Whether a plein air painting must be completed on location is a question often asked. Plein air purists will argue that a plein air painting must be started and finished outside the studio on location. Other plein air artists often add details when back in the studio if necessary, utilizing photo references. The important thing is the end result.
Plein Air painting can be done in various mediums, each being affected by the temperature and weather. And let’s not forget that the weather, temperature, and flying critters impact the artist as well.
So why do artists choose to paint outdoors instead of the comfort of their studio?
Often, artists can gain a more accurate recognition of color; it helps them to simplify their painting process; it improves their ability to paint in a shorter period of time gives them a first-hand look at how light changes due to time of day and various situations; and allows the artists to get in touch with the feeling the setting evokes and incorporate it into their art. In addition, those observing the artists may want to purchase the art, as a memento of a special place they visited.
In addition to the tour, there were selected vendors, gift baskets and an art raffle. Each artist donated a painting in support of the garden tour fundraising event. All and all, the event was amazing creating a lot of garden and art chatter. Local artists made contacts and the fundraising goals were met to support the ongoing work on the Island by the Garden Club of LBI.
Locations and Plein Air Artists included in this year’s Outside Living Garden Tour and Art Show:
- 6th Street, Barnegat Light Home: Fay Bartling, Paul Hartelius, Shelly Ristow, Linda Saladino
- 10th East 12th Street, Barnegat Light Home: Jill DeFelice, Nancy Edwards, Linda Ramsay
- Bay Avenue, Loveladies Home: Kathy Crocker, Lois Lyons, MaryBeth McCabe, Nancy Sterr Lang
- East Nebraska Avenue, Beach Haven Park Home: Margaret Hartwell, Suzi Hoffman, Linda Werner
- Leeward Avenue, Beach Haven Home: Veronica Astrom, Clara Sue Beyn, Carlo Gaboardi, Marion Lotka, Lois Mullen
Edith Duff Gwinn Garden, - Barnegat Light: Andrea Sauchelli
- Pollinator Garden/Bay Breeze Park Pavilion, Barnegat Light: Irene Bausmith
- Beach Haven Library Garden, Beach Haven: Chris Vohden
For more information about The Garden Club of LBI:
https://thegardencluboflbi.com/
For more informative about Pine Shores Art Association:
http://www.pineshoresartassociation.org/
