SUMMER IN CONNECTICUT
Landscape and Shoreline Views - July 13 through August 14, 2006

Art: Cat Boat at Sunset, David Lussier | Waiting to Go, Katherine Simmons | Stony Creek Sunflowers, Margaret Dean

Light shimmering across a shoreline anchorage, reflections of life along the Connecticut shoLight shimmering across a shoreline anchorage, reflections of life along the Connecticut shore, the bustle of life in charming downtown Madison – “Summer in Connecticut” Landscape and Shoreline Views, an upcoming plein air exhibition opens Friday,  July 14th at Susan Powell Fine Art, 679 Boston Post Road, Madison, Connecticut. Over 30 elected artist members of the Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society and nationally known award winning plein air artists are represented. The show runs from July 14 through August 13, with an opening on Thursday, July 13 from 5-8 p.m.

Plein air painting is a long-established Connecticut tradition which began in the late 19th century in Cos Cob and Old Lyme. Inspired by the French Impressionists and earlier English and French master painters such as John Constable and Francois Millet, artists paint from nature capturing the beauty and atmosphere of the landscape with a spirit and spontaneity not achieved in the studio.  “Plein air painting  challenges the artist to interpret the quality of light and the sights, sounds, smells and atmosphere onto the canvas,” says Katherine Simmons, President of the Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society. 

A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Shoreline Arts Alliance. Since 1980, the Shoreline Arts Alliance has been a major force for the arts on the Shoreline. A painting demonstration by David Lussier,  past President of the Connecticut Plein Air Painters Society will take place at Memorial Town Hall in Madison on Thursday, July 6, at 6:30 p.m. The public is invited to this free event.

Susan Powell specializes in Contemporary Realism, plein air and 19th and 20th century American paintings.