We’d like to congratulate Thomas Kegler for winning Overall First Place in the August 2024 PleinAir Salon, judged by David Ethridge, owner and curator of Gallery 1261 in Denver, Colorado.
“I chose Thomas Kegler’s ‘Mid Summer Night, Romans 5:4’ for first place due to its captivating portrayal of a tree at night,” said David. “The masterful use of light and shadow creates a compelling mood, imbuing the scene with a narrative quality that invites repeated viewing.”
Thomas Kegler on “Mid Summer Night, Romans 5:4”
Nocturnes have always held a special place in my heart. This painting started as a concept to capture a summer night walk under a clear full moon through a forest using a mature oak tree as the anchor, drawing up feelings of both wonder and trepidation.
I developed this composition from memory, striving to capture an almost dreamlike quality while celebrating the character and animation of this ancient tree. I used many past field sketches of trees to begin small thumbnail explorations before completing small “etude.”
These small oil color studies help ensure the composition and colors are in order before embarking on the full sized work. The intentional absence of the moon itself allowed me to use/direct the implied moon’s light to turn the form of the large tree mass. This also provided the cast shadows to lay down a pattern on the trunk and forest floor that would amplify the contours of the tree and slanted hillside.
Painting night scenes also lends itself to self-harmonizing color shifts due to the limited palette. Although I limited the colors to the blue family, I juxtaposed both warm (violet-blues in the tree and ground) and cool ( blue-greens in the sky) variations in the scene. I was inspired by both Frederick Remington (for his nocturne color harmonies) and N.C. Wyeth (for his characterization of trees).
The title is left intentionally ambiguous as to encourage the viewer to “read into” the painting. I always add a Bible verse as part of my titles as a way of inviting people to open The Book, read it, ponder it, and hopefully make a connection. They are not intended to be taken literally, but as a nudge to delve deeper into connections between the verse, the image, and themselves.
I typically finish a painting and spend some time considering the meaning behind the work. For this painting it was perseverance and hope. Then I delve into researching verses that touch upon these themes. One will always jump out. The life story of this oak tree aligned well with the verse Romans 5:4: “and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.”
These spiritual approaches to art parallel the mid-1800 Hudson River School painters that used elements of nature and the landscape as metaphors and narratives to guide the viewer to the divine … humbly attempting to point upward while celebrating the beauty of God’s creation in the American landscape.
Additional Paintings:
Connect with the artist at thomaskegler.com.
About the PleinAir Salon:
In the spirit of the French Salon created by the Academie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, this annual online art competition, with 11 monthly cycles, leading to the annual Salon Grand Prize winners, is designed to stimulate artistic growth through competition. The PleinAir® Salon rewards artists with $50,000 in cash prizes and exposure of their work, with the winning painting featured on the cover of PleinAir® Magazine.
Winners in each monthly competition may receive recognition and exposure through PleinAir Magazine’s print magazine, e-newsletters, websites, and social media. Winners of each competition will also be entered into the annual competition. The Annual Awards will be presented live at the next Plein Air Convention & Expo.
The next round of the PleinAir Salon has begun so hurry, as this competition ends on the last day of the month. Enter your best art in the PleinAir Salon here.
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