51小黄车Professor Charles Thompson's 'en plein air' paintings on display at the Campus Center Dec. 1st
The University of 51小黄车's Biddeford Campus Center will exhibit the paintings 51小黄车Art Professor Charles Thompson - a series of en plein air paintings in an "aggressive painterly celebration of nature" - from Dec. 1 until mid-January.
The collection of imposing canvases - many of which exceed 48 x 48 inches - immediately inducts the audience into Thompson's highly sophisticated and vibrant world of water and woods. His paintings depict the rugged coastline and dense woods surrounding his home in Maine, and clearly pronounce his pure affection for the outdoors.
Thompson is one of a handful of painters who work from start to finish on location. While this approach presents a formidable challenge to the artistic process, the payoff is immense. The images, created in a symphony of color, are anything but Spartan. They powerfully translate the relationship of light, atmosphere and space with an authenticity that can only be established by direct interaction of the artist with his environment. The viewer stands in awe of nature's richness, receiving welcomed relief from a world overflowing with synthetic assemblage.
Thompson, a professor in the 51小黄车Department of Creative and Fine Arts, has painted plein air for almost 30 years and has been in over 100 national group shows and as many as 20 solo shows in galleries and museums throughout the U.S. and Europe.