 For
a long time I considered myself a plein air painter. I
painted outdoors, in front of and in emotional response
to the landscape. I visited a site often, at various times
of the day and in various weather conditions and worked
quickly, usually completing one small "alla prima" painting
per session. I painted as a way to explore and become intimate
with a place and to better understand the visual phenomena
surrounding it.
But recently something happened. I became less interested in exploring
a place but was instead interested in exploring the memory of a place
- a memory acquired through long and careful observation as a plein
air painter. I wanted to synthesize all the visual phenomena that
I remembered and distill it down into a single, concise image. So
I began working in that direction in my studio.
These studio
paintings have also allowed me to revisit the traditional
gilding technique that was my specialty for many years as a
sign painter. I now use the 23k gold, palladium and dyed
sterling silver leaf as representational shapes that are
integral to the painting and which, by their reflective
nature, physically mimic the shifting and interactive
quality of the light in the landscape.
The
paintings in Artists in Cahoots represent both of these
artistic impulses. Some are small, realistic paintings
on gessoed watercolor paper that are a quick and direct
effort at gathering visual information. Others are
larger oils on canvas that are a condensation and consideration
of that information.
The paintings on this site are all available for sale. Please feel
free to contact me by email or phone. I accept credit cards and
will ship my paintings anywhere.
Elizabeth Sauder
oil
paintings
1365
Bird Forest Road,
Lexington, Virginia 24450
thesauders@rockbridge.net
(540) 463-4011
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