Once Lynn Boggess has set up his portable studio in the wilds of West Virginia, he begins painting as if he were Nature herself. He skims his white canvas with an aggressively applied dark violet ground and, painting wet on wet with cement trowels, he begins pulling basic colors down over the surface. From the chaos of form emerging from the dark, he says, “I start to make sense of it, bring it under control and refine it so it has a beauty to it.”
2 December 2023, oil on canvas, 26 x 22"
The environments he chooses to paint are not pristine. “There is litter and trash,” he says. “You can’t go anywhere without seeing people abusing the environment. The plein air painter has to become hardened. You have to force yourself to see past those things—which can be roadblocks. I clean up the litter—clean things up and make them more palatable.”
23 December 2023, oil on canvas, 46 x 40"
He doesn’t clean up, however, the natural evolution of the landscape—fallen trees, erosion, etc. He paints in all seasons and in all conditions relatively comfortable under the shelter of his portable studio. “Winter is my favorite,” says Boggess. “There’s such a stillness with the purity of the snow blanketing the world in front of you.”
In the quiet of the natural world, the plein air painter is immersed in the present, yet constantly aware of the persistence of change. “We must resist the urge to cement our feet in place,” he comments. “We need to embrace change. In every single aspect of life nothing stays the same. Painting in plein air allows me to center myself and to be aware of the fluctuations of the day. Being in the environment pushes you to use your time more wisely. You become very aware. I value the reality of it.” He memorializes the reality of the moment, titling his paintings with the date of their creation.
12 January 2024, oil on canvas, 22 x 19"
The peaks of thick paint on Boggess’ canvases remain constant but remind us of change. The peaks in winter scenes will melt and the green peaks of spring will grow into lush vegetation. In a painting such as 23 December 2023, snow blankets the background landscape in stillness while the transience of the slowly moving stream in the foreground reflects the blue of the sky. From a distance, the scene is nearly photographic, while up close the tactile quality becomes apparent, establishing a tension between illusion and reality.
Twenty-five of Boggess’ recent paintings will be shown in an exhibition at Principle Gallery in Alexandria, Virginia, that opens with a reception on April 26 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. The show remains on view through May 13.
18 November 2023, oil on canvas, 28 x 52"
“Lynn Boggess’ artwork remains a staple in our gallery and continues to be highly desired among our collector base,” says Principle Gallery assistant director Taylor Chauncey. “He has the same allure among new and existing collectors; those who’ve never seen his work before are immediately dazzled by his technique.” —
Principle Gallery, 208 King Street • Alexandria, VA 22314 • (703) 739-9326 • www.principlegallery.com
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