One day, Lynn Boggess stepped out of his studio and picked up a cement trowel he had been using to repair his roof. He began to move paint around on a canvas. Today, he has perfected the interaction of paint, blade and canvas to create evocative paintings of the myriad subtleties of nature.
14 January 2023, oil on canvas, 22 x 19"“Paint resists a brush,” he says. “Using a blade, the paint responds immediately. Once an artist accesses the power of paint, the possibilities explode. It takes practice to stay on your game, though.”
His paintings are a celebration of nature and the harmonious collaboration of artist and medium. In 10 May 2022 (Lapse Series 1C), the stream, shore and trees can be comprehended from a distance. Up close, the surface devolves into its elements of pigments applied in thick impasto. Yet, in the foreground, Boggess has smeared the paint with his blade creating the verisimilitude of reflections on the surface of water.
10 May 2022 (Lapse Series 1C), oil on canvas, 20 x 16"
His Lapse Series is a natural evolution of his painting scenes in all seasons. In this series, however, he returns to the same spot at different times of day and in different seasons to present a more intimate experience for the viewer. “They reveal an intimate communion with a particular time and place,” he explains.
“In Appalachia we have four distinct seasons,” he continues. “There is beauty in each season that is defined by their contrasts. If you’re outside enough to see and enjoy it, you really notice how they evolve.”
9 January 2023, oil on canvas, 20 x 16"
18 November 2022 (Lapse Series 2B), oil on canvas, 30 x 26"Boggess paints in plein air under a portable shelter that accompanies him whatever the season, from the heat of summer to winter’s cold and snow. Although Renaissance painters are known to have painted out of doors, the works were preparatory sketches for studio paintings. In the 19th century, it became de rigueur to paint outside and to be true to nature in the result. Boggess thinks plein air painting will never become passé. “Painting outdoors is being present in your own time, being in a specific place and really noticing. You go out in nature and begin thinking on a deeper level.”
3 January 2023 (Lapse Series 1B), oil on canvas, 20 x 16"
Thirty of his most recent paintings, including the Lapse Series will be shown in an exhibition at Principle Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia, that opens with an artist reception on April 21 and runs through May 15. —
Principle Gallery
208 King Street • Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 739-9326 • www.principlegallery.com
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