Plein Air Painting with Dennis Doyle
My second interview is with Dennis Doyle, a landscape painter from Weymouth, Massachusetts. Dennis discusses his passion for plein air painting, as well as the challenges that come with painting outdoors! He describes what it's like to live on the coast, and how his surroundings have influenced his work. I'm so inspired by Dennis's work and was really excited to find out more about his artistic journey!
Hi Dennis! Tell me about where you’re from and how you initially became involved in the arts.
I'm a life long resident of Weymouth, Massachusetts. It's a seaside town on the south shore of Boston Harbor. I was educated in the public schools there and went on to Massachusetts College of Art where my affinity for drawing became a full blown passion for painting. I grew up and worked on the water my whole life, first as a commercial clam digger and lobster and gillnet fisherman, and then a merchant mariner working on tugs, barges, derricks, and dredges up and down the entire east coast. In these coastal settings living out and under the brilliant light has been a life long soul filling intoxication !!! Its what inspires MY PAINT!!
I notice that many of your paintings are created outside. What led you to plein air painting?
As I said in my previous answer, I have always worked out in it, I am an OUTSIDER! I have a studio where I do studio work but the true inspiration of sight and paint reaction is in plein air... it's where I get schooled!
What are some of the benefits of painting outside, as well as the challenges?
The #1 benny is being outside, gotta get some of that vitamin D! Painting in plein air you stand before what matters. It's the landscape, seascape, urban settings etc... you are there to paint what you see, chase the light, and your ACTION is to make painting decisions while learning to see and the arrival at an image you can call a painting. The unlimited challenges are in the conditions of the day. Wind, rain, clouds, temperature, tides, sunrises and sunsets, they all teach, so pay attention.
You're not always gonna make good paintings. There will be a lot of bad ones, but remember, those are paint decisions made in painting situations. I like to say I deposit those decisions in the bank and make future withdrawals! Plein air is an endless quest for knowledge. I set up to paint my MASTERPIECE every time. It hasn't been painted yet, but I've gotten real close. In the meantime that account keeps getting bigger so I can keep withdrawing in the quest for my masterpiece!
You have a way of capturing light and color so accurately. Can you tell me a bit about your process and technique?
Thank you so much Victoria, capturing the light is the name of the game. I am truly moved by it. It's all about being there, setting up to paint and reacting to the moods of the day. It's as they say the more you do ... the more you know and take that to the bank!!!
I paint with a 9x12 sienna pochade box with a tripod. I've got a plastic container filled with tubes of paint, there's turpentine and linseed oil - that's my medium - paper towels , duct tape, rope, a knife, bug spray, and sunscreen. It all goes in my paint bag which has a strap I throw over my shoulder and I am off to my next painting!!! For all those who want the plein air experience, GET OUT THERE AND CHASE THE LIGHT!!!
Who are your biggest influencers?
There are so many painters of the past, like Aldro T. Hibbard, Edgar Payne, Tom Thomson , George Bellows and Daniel Garber, to name a few on Instagram I find and admire new painters every day. Here's a few of my favorites:
Jon Hayes: @j.hayesart
Jimmy Craig Womble: @jimmycraig2
Alison Barry: @pleinal
Marc Grand Bois: @marcgrandbois
When did you join instagram, and how has it impacted you as an artist?
My friend Kate from South Street Gallery turned me on to Instagram in 2015, and I'm so glad she did. Before IG my work was local, applying to local galleries and shows reaching a limited, minimal audience. The GRAM has kicked the doors wide open and now my work has been seen and commented on worldwide. Instagram is an amazing platform; a tool every artist should have in their bag, and being able to communicate with fellow artists around the globe is a wonderful experience!!!
What advice would you give to artists who are either beginning their career, or working to develop their career?
To be an artist it has to be your passion. If that's the case, do whatever it takes to keep that alive! So go chase it, life is gonna happen no matter what. You gotta make the time to create.
Follow Dennis on Instagram at : ddoyle
Website: www.ddoylepaints.com