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Claudia L. Brookes | Monument Sotheby’s International Realty I Art Gallery Event
April 4, 2024 @ 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
Please join us for an Opening Reception on Thursday, April 4th from 4-6 pm at our Ruxton Office & Gallery to enjoy the work of Claudia L. Brookes.
BIOGRAPHY: I categorize myself as an American Impressionist. For most of the 25 years I’ve been a professional artist, my focus has been on landscape painting en plein air—that is, painting on location, from life, without the aid of photography. With numerous awards and nearly 50 juried plein air competitions throughout the country, I’ve turned in more recent years to painting from my home studio to create locally themed landscape paintings for the galleries that represent me.
My early forays into art were as a watercolorist. I taught watercolor classes privately for more than a dozen years before changing my primary focus to oil painting, a medium better suited to outdoor painting. I’m a Life Member of the Baltimore Watercolor Society (BWS), recognizing my 20 years as a Signature Member, as well as an elected Artist Member of the Mid-Atlantic Plein Air Painters Association (MAPAPA), a status I’ve held since 2010.
ARTIST STATEMENT: I prefer to paint the natural world, where I seek out beautiful or unusual light. On location, I try to convey a feeling of place and an exact moment in time. As I paint the scene in front of me on a hot Eastern Shore day, I want my viewers to feel the heat and humidity. Conversely, painting in the high meadows of Rocky Mountain National Park is all about conveying the wonder of the thin air and clear light. These days, I find myself drawn to painting smaller works in the comfort of my studio. There I aim for the same freshness and sense of light I seek in the field.
I have always, by nature, been an alla prima (“all-at-one-go”) painter. I very often complete a painting in one sitting to remain true to my original inspiration, a practice honed by years of painting outdoors where the quickly changing patterns of light and shadow dictate the span of your painting time. I employ what is called a “wet-on-wet” approach that puts one juicy brushstroke against another with just a suggestion of fine detail.
I’m told that painting is something one can do for a lifetime. I hope so because there’s so much more to paint. And the perfect light is waiting.
GALLERY REPRESENTATION: Landmark Gallery, Kennebunkport, ME; Argosy Gallery, Bar Harbor, ME; Pink Papaya, St. John, USVI; and The Gallery at Manor Mill, Monkton, MD. My work can be viewed locally at the Harford Artists’ Association, Bel Air, MD, and Towson Arts Collective, Towson, MD.
Claudia will donate a portion of first week sales to
Monument Sotheby’s Community Enrichment Fund
WEBSITE: claudiabrookes.com
EMAIL: claudia@claudiabrookes.com
CELL/TEXT: (410) 375-7369