Artist: Connie Mae Moeller

Painting the beauty of the scenery around her with a focus on capturing the subtle nuances of light and shadow, artist Connie Mae Moeller describes her process.

 

 

ABI: What draws you to focus on landscape painting?

CMM: When I’m outdoors and observing what is around me, it balances my being and I feel inspired and closer to God. Seeing the beauty in nature brings me a sense of hope. I’m compelled to paint the delight that I see in an effort to share beauty and hope with others.

 

 

I live in a state abounding with natural beauty, and I love to hike, camp and kayak among our mountain trails, forests and rivers. I am intrigued by sunlight and shadow and how they change a whole scene. I find myself studying the effects of light and shadow on everything I see when I’m out on a hike. I take it in visually and try to figure how to translate it to my canvas.

 

 

It excites me to discover the subtleties that are often overlooked and include them in my work. I’ve always been drawn to landscape paintings because they encompass a whole scene of natural beauty.

 

 

ABI: What techniques do you use to create your art?

CMM: I majored in art at Spring Arbor University which taught a classical style and later took classes at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts on painting in the methods of the old masters—both influenced my technique.

 

 

I paint in oil on gesso board because I like the detail I can achieve on the smooth, hard surface. In my studio, I begin on toned ground with imprimatura and layer color mixed with medium until I have achieved the desired effect.

 

 

I had always wished to paint outdoors but struggled to find the way to do that. A few years ago, I received a grant from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History to attend a week-long plein air class at Hudson River Valley Workshops with artist/instructor Lorenzo Chavez, which was an awesome privilege!

 

 

This technique is different from my studio painting. I still do a thin underpainting and paint a layer over that using mineral spirits rather than oil mediums, usually creating a small painting in a couple of hours. I take it back to my studio to add a few details that I couldn’t put into the wet paint. There is a fresh vibrancy in this because I am painting my first impression of the scene and I must be very observant in the moment. This process brings increased knowledge of nature and detail to all of my paintings.

 

 

ABI: How do you exhibit and sell your work?

CMM: Membership in select groups increases opportunities for an artist, so I submitted to and was thrilled to be juried into Tamarack: The Best of West Virginia, Allied Artists of West Virginia, and the Tri-State Arts Association. I’ve entered my work in several exhibits, won some awards, and have been invited as a featured artist at events, which is quite an honor. I also participate in festivals, open studios, and local shopping days, which have gained me an amazing local following. Every opportunity to publicly show my work leads to new commissions; I love creating one-of-a kind pieces for clients. I sell reproductions of past works in gift shops around our state and have an online store linked to my website.