Tom Nachreiner on Painting Plein Air -- Why and How
Tom Nachreiner is consistently one of the most honored painters at the Door County Plein Air Festival. When I asked him to do a phone interiew, he suggested I send hm questions and he would respond on writing. As I mention below, this was originally for the Peninsula Pulse, and as often is the case, I was half-way into my interviewing before I reviewed the assignment and realized I was asking the wrong questions, at least from my editor’s point of view.
Tom’s answered in
great depth and combines autobiography with deep thought about art and
some useful advice for anyone working in an artistic, relatively
unstructured field.
Why do Plein
Air?
I have so much to learn. For me, Plein Air
is all about drawing, and getting back to basics, with out the aid of
photography. It's being young again, back in school when I first learned
how to draw from life, and had others around me learning the same
thing. It's absolutely the best way to learn how to draw, and see things
I have never been sensitive to before. It gets me out of the house and
studio, away from my comfort zone which can inhibit me and keep me less
outgoing socially too. Schools don't teach how to draw from photos for
good reason. It's not the best way to learn how to draw or paint. It's
not the best way to find my unique, individual expression within. When
painting outdoors I have several important factors to deal with that
helps me to see better and to grow as an artist.- Plein Air is more specifically about capturing the light and shadow on the subject that gives it dimension and volume. It's also about trying to capture the mood, personality, energy, and the abstract, dynamic composition that we can respond to emotionally. My most successful paintings show the light and form to be convincing, without looking photographic, by using lively, confident brushwork.
(2) Plein Air gives
me a deadline of approximately 3 hours to capture the fleeting, moving
light outdoors. This forces me to paint quickly and efficiently and
therefore, naturally and honestly spontaneous. It forces me to draw all
the way through my painting making continual adjustments along the way,
as opposed to filling in carefully drawn lines from a traced photograph.
I find my paintings done in this manner look much more lush, juicy,
alive, harmonious, energetic and less predictable.
(3.) Nothing in
nature is white or black. I can see into shadows and catch the
subtleties of value and color temperature, unlike painting from photo
reference that show shadows as black, and show skies as white or an
extremely bright blue.I see the warm and cool colors more easily
outdoors, and by squinting I can see the hard and soft edges more
clearly, along with the lightest light and the darkest dark. There's so
much more information than what a photo can bring, and by observing
nature this way, I learn the science of how light and color works as it
goes back in space and how light reflects back into the subject.
(4) Experiencing
the sounds, smells, the wind, and most important, the people and their
energy and the story they tell in the environment I am painting, adds
another dimension of information to a painting. I also benefit from
people's interest on the street in what I am doing and have a chance to
meet, and learn from others
Finally, when I
paint outdoors my wife comes with me and reads and does crafts, so I
have companionship, and we can share in the daily adventures,
and maybe on
occasion share a beer or glass of wine with friends doing the same
thing.
Compare it with
studio work?
Studio work, mostly
in the winter, affords me solitude and more focused time and maybe more
comfort to paint, with the ability to set up a controlled atmosphere
with everything I want around me. However, this comfort can be a double
edged sword, and sometimes not as motivating as a more competitive,
unpredictable atmosphere, with energy in the air all around. Too
comfortable and too much time sometimes can lead to less spontaneity and
energy, I find. So in the winter, I try to paint one day plein air, one
day a still life or from a model and one day from photo reference. I
also try each winter to spend some time painting indoors and out down
south. My studio time is more successful when mixing it with painting
loosely plein air.I work hard making up deadlines so I don't lose my
energy and passion and spontaneity. I also set challenging goals for
each painting I work on to try something different and new.
The studio is a
wonderful place to create a still life environment or pose a figure and
control lighting, All that can add to the creativity of the painting.
It's a good place to paint cool North light and warm shadows to switch
it up from painting sunny days with warm light and cool shadows.
Painting in this fashion,"from life", is the most similar to plein air
because of all the information I have, without any use of photography.
With a still life
or figure, I can find the same amount of vast information and achieve
convincing light even though they are indoor subjects. Photos are also
important and can be a very helpful and successful tool. I just prefer
not copying photographs. When I do paint from a photo I will usually
work upside down so I see only abstract big and little shapes. In that
way I can maintain my energy and spontaneity and can work more quickly
because I'm not getting bogged down from the fussy detail of the subject
matter, and it's easier to see and improve the composition by
simplifying.
The computer can be
a helpful tool to improve the photo's composition, color, or placement
of objects. My years of being a digital illustrator come in handy here,
and all my observation of nature helps me know how far to go with those
changes.
What do you like
to paint?
Mostly I like to
just paint the light and shadow, and form, as I enjoy the experience of
painting outdoors. I am drawn to water in many of my paintings.
To me it's less
about what I paint and more about how I paint it and the feeling I
feel.InstinctivelyI look for a strong composition, and look for a strong
sense of light with a noticeable center of interest, and let the rest
fall where it may. I especially like painting ballet dancers when I can
find ballet models. I also love to challenge myself to paint everything,
everywhere that I find beauty.
Importance of
nature?
Pure nature is
harder for me to paint, because by instict, I usually like to break up
all of the soft nature forms and all those greens that are so similar in
the summers of Wisconsin, with water, clouds, architecture or people.
So the last couple of years I have concentrated on painting just pure
landscapes, to try to improve.
At one time I
painted nothing but cityscapes. Nature gets me away from all the
straight lines of the city and God's curved, graceful lines have opened
up a new variety and discipline in my work. I find myself simplifying to
make compositions work better for me.
Painting the figure
is also all about those curved lines and shapes.
How do you avoid
sentimentality in your work? (I like the bright storefront with a
stop light in the left foreground at Edgwood Orchard.)
The painting you
refer to is a night scene in a small town, with people outside, and a
good example of getting away from typical subjects by also painting some
at night. I work with loose brushwork, and use big brushes, so I think
that helps my work look less typical or cliche. I think what can make a
subjest less typical is to find the abstract composition within.
But I don't always
feel successful in this effort. Some people dismiss plein air because
it's based on traditional art and painting what you see, and some think
art should be more revolutionary. I search during each painting to find
that something that makes my work contemporary and have a strong
composition, even though it is based on reality.
I work hard towards my goals, to paint each
paintings from my heart, to try to create my best work to date, work
that makes me happy, and shows my inner spirit, and ultimately becomes a
painting that I would be proud to have on a prominent wall in my home.
I've found when I accomplish this, others seem to want it in their home
too.
Finances - how
long did it take you to make a living at this?
My background
is as follows: I studied fine art my first year in college at the
University of Wisconsin in Madison. I then switched to a private art
school and studied illustration and design. In my first year at Layton
School of Art in Milwaukee, I was hired part time by an advertising
studio, after they saw my work in a student show. I have been a
professional artist ever since. (Very Lucky) I was employed there
through graduation and after for 10 years. Then I started Art Factory
Ltd,, my own Illustration and design studio with 25 employees in all at
its peak, I ran the studio but was a hands-on illustrator along with 11
other illustrators, all nationally known. Later as a personal creative
outlet to paint just for myself instead of clients, I started to slowly
get into fine art and plein air painting as more less just a hobby for
the shear love of it.
I had an opening
show that made a big impact. (Very Lucky) I then became involved with
galleries, and later switched over, full time in 2000, as I restructured
the Art Factory. I've made my living as an artist all my life and have
professionally done nothing else. For me it was all a natural transition
and progression, and I've worked relentlessly toward my goals, although
luck was a big contributor.
Benefits from my
business ventures were that it gave me the understanding of marketing,
mass appeal, and understanding human nature. That all helps now, as I
teach workshops, judge art competitions, am a frame distributor to other
artists, and still do some digital illustration. I am represented in
galleries and sell some of my work on my own. I paint almost every day. I
spend a percentage of my time giving back in appreciation for what I
feel I was given.
Any advice for
beginning artists who want to stop waiting tables in Brooklyn and spend
more time doing art?
This is a tough
one. Today is so different. I was lucky, but through real hard work and
a vision, I was able to get a job drawing everyday, when advertising
was in its "hey-day".Most important is to define what your realistic
attainable goal or vision is, that comes from inside your heart. To have
vision this is areal gift in itself.
Find a
knowledgeable mentor through school or someone you know and admire, to
get good solid positive advice. In what I do, the most important thing
for growth is drawing, and one can draw in pencil or charcoal anywhere.
Carry a sketch book everywhere. Draw alone, but also find friends who
share common interests and get together after work to draw together. On
vacations or weekends take a workshop from an artist that you most
admire. Get most of your inspiration by visiting the masters as often as
you can in art museums. Don't try to skip the basics, there are no
shortcuts to success. Use your time wisely and efficiently, set goals,
create a vision board and don't give up. Stay away from negative people.
and find a partner who reinforces your dreams and goals. Realize "if
it's meant to happen, it will."
Stay open minded
and keep adjusting your approach and your goals, and never stop working
hard. if you can, follow your heart rather than the money. For example,
take a job that won't take you in the wrong direction and won't cause
you regrets later. (I know today that's real hard, with fewer jobs.)
College teaches you how to learn, but during the rest of your life, your
education is in your own hands. Finally,if there are delays in
achieving some of your goals, it's still never "too late" to grow as an
artist and to have fun painting, no matter what stage of learning you
are at.
